The Story
by LadyOfTheBlackWaters
Summary: A twinkling consciousness became a star which sparkled in the night and banished the darkness. The Mana Goddess acquired consciousness by gazing into the light of that sun. She made Fa’Diel, a great land, but so far an empty one. Imporant Message!
1. Chapter 1: The Mute Heroine

**Chapter Number:** One/Teaser

**Chapter Title:** The Mute Heroine

**Story rating:** T (just to be safe)

**Publish Date:** Sunday, October 19, 2008.

**Beta:** None

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Mana. Nuff said. Unless... maybe I bumped my head and really do own it! Muahahahahaha!...

No, seriously, I don't own anything but my closet monster and this story.

**Warnings:** Small amounts of swearing, little occness, parallels.

**Notes:**

1) First off, this is a Legend of Mana Fanfiction. I'm not going to follow every quest, though. I'll probably skip around, exclude them completely, make them into fillers, or have had them done prior.

2) As of right now, there is no complete pairings. It is leaning towards HeroineXElazul, but I'm not sure it will stay that way. No, it will never lean towards HeroineXEscad. I... greatly dislike Escad, and find much enjoyment if beating the daylights out of him in the game. I'll try not to let it effect my writing though (keyword, TRY).

3) There will be the occasional cross over. Nothing dramatic though. For example, the Heroine's favorite book is called "Threads of Fate", and she has a vast collection of Final Fantasy Novels.

4) The story will update ONCE A MONTH. And that's only if some people like it. If no one reviews by next month, I'll probably think it's a dud story and pact it away.

5) If you have questions, feel free to ask. Reviews might even lead to two updates a month!

**Muse:** Sorry, Tiamat42, your my muse. I love your story (Descent of Mana: The Lost Swords), and it inspired me to write my own fic. Though, I'm not sure if that's a good thing... heh heh.

Okaies! Let's get this show on the road! Oh oh! And FYI; this is Jumi! Cross hasn't contacted me in awhile. Oh yeah, that does mean no Beta-er. So sad.

* * *

_"A twinkling consciousness became a star which sparkled in the night and banished the darkness. The Mana Goddess acquired consciousness by gazing into the light of that sun. She made Fa'Diel, a great land, but so far an empty one."_

Eager, pale hands turned the yellowing and cracked page of the large, leather bound World History Encyclopedia, though the reader already knew what the next page had in store. She had read the book thousands of times before, but it never ceased to amaze her with it's tales of the birth of their land and the secret legends of the six moons. Moon Gods the book called them.

_"The Mana Goddess drew beams of six colors from the sun. They became the six moons, each hiding a small deity within. When those gods awoke, they played beautiful music and brought fortune to the land of Fa'Diel."_

Her emerald green eyes scanned the text and then the faded picture, an illustration of the six moons being born from the Mana Goddess. They all looked so beautiful and happy.

"Findabhair, are you up yet? Elysia is getting... testy." Findabhair glanced up from the book and twisted to peer around the edge of her bed post, flashing a grin to the little purple haired elf female. The child, in her early teens, heaved a sigh of relief at the sight her guardian at least being awake.

Folding down the corner of the page Findabhair had last been on, she snapped the heavy book shut and placed it gently at the edge of her bed before stretching her arms high above her head. Pulling her hands back down, the young woman made a few signs, her fingers and hands appearing to be doing a dance of there own. "Right, and you believe she'll really listen to me?" The elf child watched a thoughtful look cross the other woman's face for a few seconds, then her hands moved again. "Just hurry up okay?" Findabhair nodded, and the child proceeded down the stairs again.

Stretching one last back popping stretch, the woman pushed her comforter down and climbed slowly out of bed, shuddering at the slight draft. She crossed the room to her table in a few quick strides, discarding her nightgown on the banister of her stairway as she went. Soft snoring caused Fin to glance over at the little cactus as she tugged on her leotard like dress. Li'l Cactus was what she had named it years earlier, for lack of a better name, though it seemed content with the alias. It never complained, and loved to hear about her stories. She'd sit down next to the plant for hours and describe to it the events of the day. Last night, they had stayed up later then usual as she had described to it about a little adventure she had had at Lake Kilma. There had been pirates, fairies, the Wisdom Tote, and a giant eyeball that had attacked them. Li'l Cactus had loved it. But, sadly due to that little adventure, Findabhair's old outfit had been torn nearly beyond repair. Now she wore the new one Jennifer, the local gossiper and store owner of Domina, had made her. It was virtually the same other than the colors. Instead of the pinks and blue of her old dress, she now wore green and blue. The main dress was blue, with a green top and green fingerless gloves. Luckily, her hair sticks, boots, and arm bands were spared.

"Findabhair! The sun will be too high at this rate! Hurry the hell up!" growled a silky smooth voice from the stairs. Finny chuckled, though without sound, as she pulled on her boots and gloves and as she walked down the stairs, she fixed up her golden locks in the hair sticks. Three stood up on each side of her head, and three others held the bottom of her back length hair. At the base of the stairs, stood a blue skinned creature clad in a navy body suit and matching cloak. She hovered above the grounded by inches, and her own yellow hair seemed to stand on end in frustration. The elf girl and another stood off to the side. The girl wore a red dress with her purple hair pulled up into a high pony tail tucked behind large ears. Her name was Lisa. Beside her, stood her brother Bud, dressed in an over large green robe with bowl cut, purple hair. Fin signed a quick apology to the three, grinning sheepishly. Elysia, the Succubus rolled her eyes and proceeded to float out the open door of the small house, while Bud and Lisa grinned back at their guardian.

"She's just cranky because of you disappearing yesterday." Bud said marching over to the table to go back to his... project. He seemed to be trying to make... something. Findabhair really didn't know if she wanted to figure out what it was. Her two magician apprentices always seemed to be making something weird on the stove. But, as long as they cleaned up after themselves and whatever they were making didn't destroy the house or harm them, she allowed the twins to experiment in her kitchen. Speaking of cleaning kitchens... Fin tapped on Lisa's shoulder. Her hands danced in the air a bit.

"Yup, we have the choir list. We have to clean our rooms, make sure there are no icky things in the closet, and that the animals are fed." The voice came out in a drone, but Findabhair patted her head all the same, ruffled Bud's hair, and walked out of the house, forcing herself not to turn into the library and grab a book. She would never find it in time, and Elysia would be even more angry.

Outside, the young woman glanced on last time at the house. It was a reasonable sized building built right into a large tree. More trees lined the left side of the path, where her orchard and Trent was. Another path branched off towards a series of workshops, and another to a barn. That was her destination.

* * *

"I've already gotten the cart, hooked up Oni, and loaded everything." Elysia remarked as Finny rounded the bend, looking for the misplaced wagon. Her eyes shot up to the creature and a blond eyebrow raised. The other had indeed gotten her whole work prepared. The large wagon, filled with weapons, instruments, and fruits, was tethered to a large Grey Ox who was munching on the grass, not the least bit scared that a vampire was standing feet away. The odd part was...

"Your throat is redder than normal and there is more blood pumping." Elysia answered simply, pulling her head up over demon like head fins. Fin's pale hand went up to the scars marring the sides of her throat. "And because you took your sweet old time, I'm not going with you. It's too bright and I'd rather feed than play shop keeper. Have fun." With that, Elysia floated off into the shadows. Findbahair watched for a few moments longer, before grabbing the reins and leading the ox, Oni, down the path and away from the home, ignoring the chattering Sproutling as it walked beside her to the end of the road, ranting about the world and how they were all connected. The same old thing as the day before. Fin may have good restraint, but she would someday punt one of the little buggers.

* * *

When Fin arrived at the center of the quiet town of Domina, she was greeted with a rare sight. Duelle, a short little creature with an onion on his head, was scowling at the back of a taller male with a cape that looked like sand and an odd head piece. "You could at least be polite and tell us your name." squeaked Duelle, spear held threateningly at his side. The mysterious male didn't turn or even glance at the onion warrior before proclaiming in a low tenor voice, "Elazul." With that said, the male walked into the bar called Amanda and Barett.

Duelle spun around, mumbling something along the lines of 'rude' before almost running into the young woman. "Finny! Have you brought more supplies. Your weapons tend to sell the best next to Watt's." The small creature walked towards the store, leaving Fin to follow with her wagon and pet.

In a flurry of pink dress and large butterfly wings, the saleswomen of the Knights of Jema, Jennifer, dashed out and gathered the unsuspecting blonde into her arms. "Oh! The dress looks great on you! Auntie likes your cloths very much. Better than that purple and pink. The green makes your eyes stand out more. If only my husband would let Rachel were cloths like yours." Jennifer crooned. Fin looked pleadingly at Duelle, making a help like gesture with her hands.

"Ma'am, the supplies need to be brought in, and Finny has to deliver the fruits to the market place..."

"Oh right!" The butterfly woman quickly let go of the gasping blonde, bustling into the house to drag her husband, Mark, out to help load.

* * *

"That's the last of it." Mark said, placing the last swore into the barrel and balancing a helm on the hilt. He was a large man in blue and brown armor that made him look like a beetle. Jennifer was placing the last flute on the shelf. "We'll send letters whenever something is sold so that you can pick up the money." He added, like always, turning to the woman to shake her hand in a deal like gesture, though they both knew the drill. They would buy something, raw material or broken equipment, and Findabhair would either create a new item or fix the original. She only asked for thirty percent of whatever the price was. They had helped her so much in the past, she never asked for more.

With a last good-bye hug (though Fin had tried to avoid it), the girl made towards the door, only to be stopped by a large furry body. "Findabhair, what a conquidence to meet you here today!" Fin slapped her forehead. Dammit. Niccolo grinned up at her ignoreing the glare he received from Duelle and Mark. "You are just the fighter I was looking for too! Look, I'm looking for someone to help me rid the Luon Highway of bandits so that I can go to Topple. You'll do it right?" He asked, paws placed on wide hips. Findabhair went to say no, but Niccolo stared again. "It wouldn't be a waste of time, I have several valuable items I will give you in exchange for your aid! It's an offer you can't resist." Reaching into his large pouch, he pulled out a broken looking medallion and an old wheel. They looked like regular junk, but Findabhair could felt something off them, like a buzz, or hum. With a quiet sigh, the girl nodded her head, barely grabbing her weapon, a large two-handed axe, before Niccolo had taken hold of her arm and dragged her from the house and towards their destination.

But, as they passed Amanda and Barret's inn, she felt like she was needed there more.

_I'll just pop in before leaving. I need to get Oni and my wagon back anyway..._

* * *

Jumi: Okay, honestly not the best thing I've ever written. Sorry if it was a wee bit boreing and no body likes it. I'll try to post another chapter this month because this is sort of a teaser to see if anyone actually reads it.

Reviews are much loved and let me know if people are actually enjoying the story.


	2. Chapter 2: Of Bunnies and Rude Knights

**Chapter Number:** Two Chapter

**Title:** Of Bunnies and Rude Knights

**Story rating:** T

**Publish Date:** November 8, 2008

**Beta:** None (Beware!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Mana.

If I did own in, I would probably still end up writing fan fiction so ne~ah~!

**Warnings:** Small amounts of swearing, little occness, paralles.

**Notes:** Yeah~! I am so happy! Four reviews in the first chapter! *is very happy* I'll probably end up continuing at this rate.

Amaranthine24: Elazul is the love, I agree.

bluedranzer77: Thank yous! Yeah, mistake may happen. I can read this a hundred times and still find about five different ones each run through. Hee hee. Sorry. Hopefully they will get better.

xenocanaan: Updated! Hee hee. XD

Nakka-sama: I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Dracorum: I wonder too. I'm on the tenth chapter and still wondering.

Tiamat42: *glomp* I sent you the pronounce, and I'm adding it at the end of this chapter as well. Never fear!

I love ya guys so much and thank you!

**Muse:** Amaranthine24, bluedranzer77, xenocanaan. Nakka-sama, Dracorum, Tiamat42, and everyone else who read and enjoyed it!

* * *

_The six deities became the Moon Gods and demanded that the Mana Goddess name them. So the Mana Goddess gave each of them a shining stone, which filled the air with music: Stars, follow me! Moons, walk with me! And we shall celebrate your names!_

Findabhair gracefully flitted under a lullabud's long, whip like, green appendage and slashed in a upward right handed motion. The poor little creature didn't stand a chance as the steel bit into its pink and green body and continued right on through. The plant class creature made one last gurgling sound before rotting into the dusty, craggy ground of the Luon Highway. Following through with the swinging motion of the axe, Finny let the momentum spin her around to lob the head off another lullabud in a downward left slash. "Make sure to pick up the seeds, my dear! I can sell them for a good profit." The blond haired warrior rolled her eyes at the bunny man in the green tunic's instructions, but complied. There was no signs of disgust as she split the head open and extracted a handful of colorful seeds.

She handed them to Niccolo to stuff into his growing bag. Between the seeds, material, and bones they had found, he could easily make a good thousand lucre.

_Tryne, merciful god of water. _

_Zea, passionate god of fire. _

_Barlen, selfish god of gold. _

_Libleyt, hopeful god of wood. _

_Morphes, wealthy god of earth. _

_Ghazel, whimsical god of wind. _

_The Moon Gods rejoiced, and the Mana Goddess returned to her slumber, becoming the great Mana Tree. Fa'Diel was left to the whims of the Moon Gods._

_ He reminds me of both Barlen and Morphes..._ Fin thought as the cat-faced bunny looked at the sack greedily. The two travelers had made good time on the road, despite the constant monster attacks. They were already two miles in with maybe a little over a mile left before they reached the end and could enter the Topple caves.

The only issue was, they had yet to find or wipe out the bandits, which was the main reason Findabhair had been dragged along on this little escapade. When mentioned (because Niccolo did understand Fin's hand language, though seemed to ignore it half the time), the merchant simply replied they would find them soon.

Little did he know, he was correct.

Findabhair was adjusting her two-handed axe on her back, when Niccolo's long ears perked up. His bunny nose twitched lightly, and his squinty eyes twinkled. The blonde warrior, not reading his moves right, adjusted her footing and looked around, green eyes flickering. "There's gold on the road! Oh! How could someone be so careless?!" One fuzzy paw extended and snatched up the coin, hugging it close to his furry chest, ears raising in indignation. "Lucre is to be valued! Not wasted on the ground! Remember that, Findabhair!" Fin head palmed, letting out a soundless sigh.

One thin hand rubbed the bridge of her small nose, trying to relieve the impending headache before it struck. While her head was bent, she caught a small shine between her fingers from the bushes and looked up, curious. Without a second thought, the woman picked up a rock and flung it into the scraggily leaves. A startled squeak echoed out, and the, shiny object, now revealed an arrow, flew wide and embedded into a dead tree, four feet away from it's intended target of Niccolo's nap sacked back. Niccolo looked up as several green and dull orangey clad bandits walked out onto the path. Five in the back, and three in front, each sporting a wicked bow and arrow set.

"Hand over da cash! Da cash, you fat rabbit!" One small creature ordered, pointing an arrow at Niccolo's chest.

If the situation hadn't been in such a state of conflict, Findabhair would have thought the bandit creatures cute. They stood only to her waist, with small, furry mouse faces. It reminded the blonde warrior of the time Bud had threatened her when she first met him and his twin sister. They were about the same height back then.

"Not this time. I have come to stop your lucre grabbing ways." Niccolo boasted, loudly, placing his large paws on his large hips. Fin felt something sharp prod her in the lower back.

"Give us the lucre or your friend gets it!" One small little Chobinhood growled.

"Friend? She's just my body guard."

_Thanks ever sooo much, Niccolo._

"Hand over da cash!" When it was apparent Niccolo was not going to offer any gold, Findabhair reached into a small pocket sew into the side of her dress, and flicked out a few, small gold coins. The Chobinhoods glared down at gold as the coins clattered to the ground. "Not enough! Not enough!"

"These guys are mad for money!"

The sound of a drawn bow string from behind finally made the young warrior burst into action. With her height (though she was on the shorter side), she couldn't duck, so, she spun, locking her leg with the creature's small body and kicking him into one of his buddies in front of Niccolo. With a deft movement of her hand, she caught the creatures fallen bow and arrow and shot the piece of wood into one of the bandit's hoods, pinning it to a tree. Another was brought down when she threw the bow at it's face. Niccolo, taking her distraction, unleashed his own assault of punches onto the remaining troublemakers before him.

"Master! Come and thrash these punks!" pleaded a remaining Chobinhood before he scurried off. A buzzing sound took to the air, and as a large shadow fell over the two fighters, Fin and Niccolo exchanged a look. Small hands signed out several things, most along the line of "I'm never helping you again". Niccolo laughed weakly and rubbed the back of a furry head as a large, mantis looking claw slammed down in between them.

* * *

"Well, that wasn't so bad!" Niccolo loudly remarked as his cat like face looked over the corpse of the giant Mantis Ant, the leader of the bandits -that Findabhair was poking with the edge of her large axe. Her dress was covered with bug blood and dirt, but she didn't seem to mind much. What she minded was that Niccolo had failed completely to tell her that the boss was a giant bug and knew several rather painful attacks... one involving acid. Her left arm stung as she tore off her glove and wrapped it around the burn mark that marred her wrist and hand. But, at least the bandits were gone, and Niccolo could continue on by himself from now on and she could go back and finish her real job.

Fin was strapping her axe to her back when said merchant walked over to her, fishing items out of his pack. "As promised, your reward! An Iron Pot, a Greenball Bun, a Tako Bag..." He shoved them into her now empty arms, earning a wince as the items rubbed against her burned wrist. "Here's the Wheel and Medallion I promised you... oh! And this old Flame bracket I found. All for the price of 6000 lucre! But, I'll discount it to 600 lucre!" All the money I earned on the trip down the Highway. Finny thought as she tried to free her hands to sign she was fine with the last three and he could take the other things back. One furry paw reached into her hidden pocket and fished out the gold coins, and if Findabhair hadn't been afraid of breaking the precious baubles stacked precariously on the top, she would have dropped it all to stop him. He had played it smart and put the items she wanted the most on the top. "There! Happy to do business with you." He turned around, stuffing the Lucre into his pocket.

"Remember to always smile! Oh! I forgot." Niccolo turned once more and placed a sealed letter into the crock between Fin's arm and the Iron Pot. "Trian asked me to give that to you." He turned around again and waddled off. "Smile!"

Findabhair glared at his back, wishing to burn holes into it and stomped her foot. Who knows how old that letter was? At least he gave me the artifacts, that's all that really matters I suppose. She thought after a moment, bending down to place the items on the ground gently. Her emerald eyes gazed lovingly over the three artifacts she had acquired. The Wheel was large, made to fit a wagon much larger than her own in Domina. The Medallion looked like a ferocious lion with it's teeth bared and fit snuggly into her palm. The last was a disk attached to three chains and held a small dish in the middle. The Flame. She'd light it when she got home.

"More to add to your junk collection I see." chuckled a familiar smooth voice. Findabhair peeked up and flashed a smile at her vampiric friend. The creature's face held a flushed look, but she was smiling and holding onto an equally familiar pouch. Raising it up, Elysia's grin transformed into an evil smirk. "I swapped it with another filled with rocks. He still has the gold though, along with his own loot, sorry." Findabhair chuckled as she carefully placed the helm with it's contents into the bag before the vampire slung into over her shoulder.

Fin removed her axe to tie the Wheel and Flame to her back, while the Medallion was placed in her pocket. The last item to be picked up was the letter, a neatly folded piece of parchment that held a white wax seal of a small tree. Carefully as to not completely destroy the paper, Fin cracked the seal and read in her head:

_Dear Finny, I miss you. _

_A lot as been going on in Jadd, but I'll be back soon. I'm bringing presents! 3 I'm sure Bud and Lisa will like the things I picked out. _

_I'm not going to go into detail right now on the presents or what's been going down, because of what's going on across the sea. I wouldn't want this to fall into some pervert military man's hand. No one touches my Findabhair, Lisa, or Bud! But, I'll tell you El Nido is holding on good, like always. Some general issues like bandits and a weird legend about a flame. Meh. XP _

_Cloud says "wark" to you. She misses Oni and surprisingly, Elysia. _

_Sorry for being so short, I'm pressed for time. But, I promise I'll be back soon. _

_Much love, _

_Trian. _

_PS: I met this girl this other day. White dress, blond hair, and a large pearl attached to her chest. She was lost and looking for someone, so I sent her to the direction to Gato. It was the closets and safest town I could of think of that was near. If anyone is looking for her, send them there. Hopefully she made it. She seemed to understand the directions. _

_3 you much._

"When's the dingbat coming home?" questioned Elysia, peeking over one of the warrior's pale shoulders. If she hadn't had fed, this feat would have been nearly impossible. Finny shrugged and made a motion that said she didn't know. Gently, the woman folded the parchment and tucked it down the front of her dress. Elysia chuckled at the action. Why was it girl's put things down their shirt?

With one last glance to the sky for time, Findabhair and Elysia made their way back down the Luon Highway and towards Domina.

* * *

"Oh thank heavens! You had me worried!" Jennifer exclaimed loudly as she fluttered around the counter of her shop and towards the door where Elysia and Findabhair had entered through. Somehow, she managed to avoid all the junk that littered the cramped room. Thankfully, she didn't hug either of the other women, but her eyes did scrutinize Findabhair's new, and very dirty, clothing. Ah, so if there was blood, guts, and dirt on her dress and gloves, she wouldn't get hugged! "It's a good thing I fixed your other outfit." The fairy woman sighed finally. Findabhair rubbed her head sheepishly, agitating the hair sticks further. "They are clean and in Rachel's room."

Ten minutes later, Findabhair was outside the bar, dressed in a clean purple and pink dress, a freshly bandaged hand, both gloves, and her hair brushed and neatly placed back into her hair ornaments. Her two-handed Menos axe was loosened from it's binds or strips of cloth and waiting for her hand to draw it. What brought her to the bar with a weapon ready?

Duelle, running in like a Chimera Beast was on his heels saying that the weird male from earlier was hassling her long time friend, Rachel, Jennifer and Mark's daughter. Elysia had vanished off towards the back of the large building, pulling her sneaky succubus move of waiting and watching. Findabhair quietly pushed the old doors in and slipped inside, sticking to the shadows and hiding behind on looking viewers who were too scared to jump in and defend the frightend little fairy waitress. Rachel was smallish and mousey, wearing a rather girly outfit consisting of a puffy cream skirt and purplish over gown. Her hair was a blue purple with two bug like antennas on her head that matched the small fairy wings.

"Speak up!" The male barked, taking a step closer to her. He was oddly dressed (almost more so than most of the townsfolk), in two different colored pants, blue and a pale orange-red, with a blue tank top that revealed slightly tanned bare arms and his chest which held a blue stone. One of his arms was incased in stone.

_Jumi?_

"I d-don't know, w-w-who you're looking f-for." stuttered Rachel, taking a step back towards the table. One of her dainty hands was reaching for one of the glass tankards on the table behind her. She may have been small, and got shaky when nervous, but she wasn't completely helpless when you put something heavy in her hand.

The Jumi, as if foreseeing her move, slowly reached for a sword strapped to his hip. A skilled warrior indeed. He stilled at the sound of another weapon being drawn however. Findabhair clicked her tongue loudly and stepped out from the crowd, hand languidly holding the axe. At the sight of the blonde warrior, Rachel let out a breath and taking advantage of a distraction, scurried over to Fin's side. With quick gestures of her free hand, the warrior inquired what was going on. Her eyes never left the eyes of the other, which were cold and glaring at her as if she had interrupted something very important.

_Well, I did, but.... never mind._

"He says he's looking for a friend... Someone told him that I might now." Rachel's voice shook out as she wrung her hands on her apron. A second of silence passed, the fairy balked. "Why do I have to?" Findabhair raised a blond eyebrow, her expression almost screaming 'duh'. "Oh all right." Still shaky, Rachel turned to the male, who had remained almost silent. "She wants to know who you are looking for."

Turning his piercing eyes on Rachel, he spoke, a low tenor voice that seemed to be more controlled then earlier. "I'm looking for a friend."

_ Really, I couldn't have guessed that much._

Findabhair signed another question, aware of the tavern slowly draining of any customers. This, for some reason, seemed to ease the male in blue. "What does she look like?"

"Why isn't she speaking for herself?" the Jumi inquired. He received no answer, mostly because Findabhair was giving him the same look she had given Rachel only minutes before.

With a resigned sigh, he answered, "She's small, maybe a few inches shorter than the two of you, and she's wearing white. Her name is Pearl." Findabhair stopped mid sign, her mind scrambling for a memory. She had heard that description before... but where? A frown folded her lips as she rubbed her temple. Got it! Reaching into her pocket, her fingers searched for the letter Trian had sent. But, alas, the letter was in her blue dress... which was at Mark and Jennifer's home across the street.

"If you don't know where she is, what is the point." The male ground out, fist clutching at his side. With a flourish, he sheathed his sword and walked past the warrior and bar maid, the latter shrinking further behind the former as he passed.

Findabhair cursed quietly under her breath, lips moving but emitting no sound. In a bold move, she snatched the blue man's sand cape before he walked out the door. The cape felt... funny. The cloth was smooth and silk like, but at the same time, it felt gritty and brittle. A cleared throat caught diverted her attention from the accessory and green eyes peeked up with an apologetic smile, the cape slipping from her hand, only to return a second later when the male tried to walk off again. This time when he rounded on her, she held up her free hand in a 'stop' gesture, then switched to make a 'wait one moment'. Slipping past him, Fin ran to the house across the street.

* * *

"And there you go again. Helping random people. Lisa and Bud aren't going to be happy." Elysia chastised as Fin walked from the house and back to the bar. The blonde waved her comment away. "Your curiosity and life style is going to kill you." Yet again, the comment was dismissed.

Inside the bar, Findabhair was slightly surprised to see the man with the sand cape had actually listened and had seated himself at a table. She was not surprised, however, to see that Rachel had taken up a spot furthest away from him and near a door. Piercing blue eyes looked up as the two females walked in. His eyes narrowing at Elysia. The succubus in turn drew her lip back and let out a small hiss. This was one man she did not want to seduce or mess with. Did Fin know he was an icky Jumi? The woman in question was folding the letter so that only the bottom showed before handing it to him.

"The Gato Grottoes?" Fin nodded. The Jumi looked up at her, confusion mixing with the worry from the letter. He was genuinely surprised. Why would a human (or that's what he thought she was) help him. That would be a good question to ask, "Why are you helping me?" The statement caught Findabhair off guard. Why did she help? Placing a hand to her small chin, the warrior tilted her head in thought. A few seconds passed before she shrugged, smile turning her lips. Elysia snorted.

"She helps everyone." The male looked down at the letter. "I am grateful for this. Thank you." Fin chuckled lightly, turning towards the door. When the male didn't follow, she turned her head towards his still seated form. He was looking at the letter still. Findabhair's eyebrows drew together. She walked back and plucked the letter from his hands and waved towards the door with her free hand.

"She wants you to hurry up. If you don't leave now, it will be too dark to travel. " Elysia ground out. She was not pleased with the idea of the two going off, but Fin was determined to help him.

Little did the vampire know that Findabhair suspected that the Jumi didn't know how to even get to Gato.

Pushing the chair back, the Jumi stood up. "You really shouldn't be helping me. But, I thank you."

Fin waved her hand. He already said that. Bringing her hands up, she put her index finger and middle fingers together and placed them diagonally over her other hand."Your name?" Elysia explained.

"Elazul." Fin smiled. Holding the paper, the woman searched the bar's counter and produced a weird ink pen before writing out her name for him.

* * *

"Well have fun. I'm not going."

_What? Why not?!_

"He," Elysia tilted her head towards Elazul. "smells funny and I don't want to accidentally bite him and die. Thank you very much, but I'm going home to tell Bud and Lisa. I'll take Oni with me." she stated simply, ignoring her friend's frown. This was going to prove difficult, for the both of them.

* * *

Again, not my best writing. An no, Findabhair and Elazul are NOT gonna get along that easily. I'm actually surprised they haven't killed each other in the chapters I've already finished. They easily get on each others nerves. XD Clashing personalities, and yet they are both stubborn as hell. They write themselves, I swear to you. Okay, my cousin was reading over my shoulder (which is extremely irksome), when he said, "You named your characters Find-ab-hair and Train?" So, I told him STFU. A couple days later, a friend from class and Tiamat asked about how to say their names…

And then thought I should put a small pronunciation thing... so, here we go:

_Findabhair_ is pronounced _Fin-dab-air_. It can also be pronounced _Fin-da-(h)air_.

It's either the 'b' or 'h' that is silent. Sounds kooky right?

_Trian_ (not train) is pronounced _Try-ann_.

_Elysia_ is pro. _El-eyes-ah_

_Oni_= _Oh-knee_ (Or nee as is, The Knights Who Say Nee)

I think that's it really... the game names I don't even really know how to pronounce correctly, so I wont bother.

Well, hope you enjoyed another chapter! Sorry about spelling, grammar, occness, and others things. The next chapter will be better, I promise. It's rather amusing and depressing at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3: Name Tags

**Chapter Number:** Three

**Chapter Title:** Name Tags

**Story rating:** T

**Publish Date:** December 22, 2008

**Beta:** None. (Oh noes!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Mana. If I did own it, I would make it possible to choose what color outfit your character got... I greatly dislike pink.

**Warnings:** Small amounts of swearing, little occness, parallels.

**Notes:** Thanks again for the reviews and reads! I am very fluffy and happy.

Um... lessee... I'm debating whether to post a Christmas Filler for this story. Trouble is, I've written two and don't know which one to post. One is from early on and contains few spoilers. The other is kind of AU, but with a lot of spoilers. You guys can decide which I should post.

Oh oh! Another thing: THANK ALL THE LOM AUTHORS FOR UPDATEING!

**Muse:** My reviewers and my readers.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, the trip to the Gato Grottoes was quiet and rather uneventful. Whatever bandits that had been on the road until recently had disappeared, and the monsters proved little excitement. This was mostly the fault of Findabhair and Niccolo during their previous excursion.

To say the trip was boring was an under statement.

In the beginning, Fin had almost enjoyed the silence. Her normal traveling partners were Lisa and Bud, both of who were young and loved to know about EVERYTHING, or Elysia, who surprisingly liked to chat almost as much. In both cases, it helped that they understood her answers. It was sadly obvious that Elazul had no idea how to read her hands.

The few questions he had asked had forced him to wait while she wrote the answer in the dirt with a stick. This grew tiresome for both parties. Elazul was in a hurry to find his missing person and Findabhair didn't like having to look for a stick and write out each little word. In the end, Elazul had simply stopped asking and Findabahair had no way to communicate further.

But, the blonde warrior wouldn't say that helping the Jumi male was a bad idea. She had a few friends in Gato, seeing as it was only a few miles away, and it was always nice to see them. There was only one person she hoped she wouldn't run into on this little adventure. Well, okay, maybe two. But he was on his was to Topple.

"Owww! My tummy! It hurts!" squeaked a voice from behind the two warriors, catching their attention. Findabhair turned too late and something small and leafy collided with the back of her legs. She flailed her arms for balance but in the end, gravity won and she toppled over the leaf creature.

The Sproutling continued it's way down the road at full speed, squealing it's little doll like head off. Adding insult to injury, Findabhair looked up to see the blue eyes of her companion as he smirked down at her. She briefly debated whether to give him a universal signal, but her axe was digging into her back.

Frowning, Fin pushed herself up, dusting dirt off of her. She paused to retie the bandage on her burned hand. Elazul's glance changed to confusion when he saw the wounded appendage. He made a mental note of it. "Are you okay, traveler?" a woman dressed in green, loose pants and a white shirt and head dress asked. Said traveler looked up and grinned, the nun returned it. Before them, loomed the town of Gato Grottoes. It's red-orange rocky towers loomed gracefully before them and a travel worn path snaked up into the cliffs above. How they had not noticed it, Fin hadn't a clue.

_"Gato Grottoes were Fa'Diel's power nexus, protected by 'the Spirits of the Ascetics.' Many monks fought as soldiers, and the high priests stopped enemies from other dimensions by sending their spirits to battle. Intense battles between the dimensions and other worlds took place in Gato." (*)_

"We're fine." Elazul answered. He had never before been to the Gato Grottoes, and he had to admit it was a impressive sight.

"That is good to hear." replied the Nun, inclining her head in a show of respect though her purple-red eyes lingered on the Jumi male. Fin's smile slowly slipped into a frown. Sense when did nun's gaze a men like that? Her gaze was predatory almost, and sent a warning signal through the blonde's smallish frame. Elazul, too, noticed the look.

The squeal of a certain Spourtling broke the tensed air, startling the nun who hurriedly turned away and walked up the incline. Findabhair shook her head. Maybe it was a girly thing. The nun must have been new and missing certain things a male could offer. Goddess knows there were very few men in Gato aside from a certain Holy Knight and a handful of male monks and fire-keepers....

The woman was forced to purse her lips before she started laughing. Only then did she notice Elazul was already half way up the path. Fin quickly ran to catch up with him.

///

"It has been awhile, deary! Have you decided to bring the stock early? I thought I asked Jennifer to tell you I didn't need a shipm- oh hello! Who's this young man?" The shopkeeper was, like many others, a nun. Her eyes were a chocolate brown and gleamed as she looked between the blonde and Jumi. Findabhair gave her a scolding smile. The nun laughed. "Oh, my bad. But you really should settle down, I want to play with a baby! Matilda would love to see another one soon too. You know how she is." Findabhair sighed, placing a hand on her forehead in fake distress. Both women laughed; one loud the other silent.

Elazul rolled his eyes. He would never understand women and their ways. Pearl never acted like that, and whether that was lucky or unlucky, he didn't care to know. Findabhair gave one last chuckle and reached behind the desk to steal a quill and inkwell. On a scrap piece of paper, she wrote 'Elazul'. The nun nodded knowingly. Smiling, she said, "Welcome Elazul, how can I be of assistance? I'm sure you didn't follow Finny here to buy weapons, for you seem to have a pretty impressive one." Fin slapped her head. To anyone else, that would not have sounded as wrong as it had, though Elazul did have quiet a lovely sword.

Thankfully, the blue clad Jumi didn't know the nun well enough to pick up the innuendo. "I'm looking for a friend. She has silver-blonde hair and wears a white dress. Her name is Pearl."

The nun looked thoughtful for a second, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen her. Unless she came into the shop, I probably wouldn't have." Indeed, the shop itself had no windows. Elazul's face fell slightly, and at the look, Fin quickly signed something. "Well... Rubens might have seen her, he's been outside the temple a lot these days. If he is out today, he will probably be on the terrace."

The nun waved kindly as the blonde warrior thanked her and the two walked out of the shop, a smile lingering on her veiled lips. She really did hope Findabhair would settle down. She was bound to get tired eventually and it would make Matilda and Daena a little calmer know their friend wasn't out on some insane and dangerous adventure again. Clasping her brown gloved hands together, the brown-eyed nun placed them at level with her heart... and prayed.

///

Findabhair lead Elazul up another path that split into separate ways. To the right, was the Cliff Terrace. A beautiful outcrop with benches and tables built from the foundation. To the left was the path that led to the Temple of Healing. It was a large temple created after the Holy War and hung precariously over the edge of a long drop. The head Priestess was Abbess Matilda. She was about to take the left path when she spotted a red clad male with flame marks licking the bottom of his outfit, his red gaze looking out at nothing.

Elazul felt an odd twinge in his core. It echoed in his head and resounded outwards, clashing with the echoes of th red male's. Elazul stopped walking before Fin did, eyes watching the male with wonder. Had he actually found another Jumi? Here? Why hadn't he sensed it earlier though? His gaze slid to the woman who was approaching the other Jumi.

Said Jumi looked up, gaze focusing back into reality. He really didn't need to worry about anything. It would all work out... "Ms. Findabhair, it's a pleasure seeing you. Daena is with the Abbess if you are looking for her." Fin shook her head, frowning. Ruben's didn't know how to read her hands and signs.

Turning around, Fin waved to Elazul. Rubens' eyes widened and a anxious sound emitted from his own core. Fin gave him a questioning look, but he didn't see it. Despite the how Rubens was reacting, Elazul looked relieved. "You are Jumi."

"I do not know what you are talking about. There are no Jumi here." As if to prove this, the sound cut short, leaving Elazul frowning.

"You can't possibly say that-"

"I am Rubens, a fire-keeper for this town. Nothing more." he hissed out. Turning, the red male stiffly bowed to Findabhair. "I am sorry for the rudeness, but I must leave. Good day to you." He straitened and walked around the path, but not before leaning in closely to Elazul and whispering something. Fin was to far away to here it, but Elazul knew. "It would be wise not to flaunt who we are these days, unless you want your core taken." He brushed past and continued on to the terrace, leaving Elazul sullen and scowling at the ground below.

How was he suppose to finish his mission?

_Well.... I have no idea what's going on. Didn't know Rubens was a Jumi either, though I really shouldn't be surprised. He was always edgy and off. Huh, we didn't even get to ask about Pearl... that is her name right?_

Findabhair tilted her head to the side as she watched Elazul. There were so many conflicting emotions in his eyes, his face showed nothing though. Better get him back on track or he might go bug the guy. Fin put two fingers to her mouth and blew. Elazul jumped at the hard, sharp sound and glared at her. She smiled innocently, much like at the bar, and walked up the left path. Elazul cast a quick glance towards the way leading to the terrace, but followed after the girl. They both failed to notice the nun and Sproutling.

///

Inside the temple, Fin waved to a few of the nuns as she led the Jumi male towards a pair of side doors. The guardswomen both greeted the girl as she walked through and down a curved hallway to a bigger set of doors.

Resting against the stone blockades sat a cat like female, dressed in purple and gold pants and top with a large bell attached to her neck. Two feline ears poked out from tan and brown locks that matched the color of her fur. Those ears twitched in the direction of the two travelers. Large green eyes looked up and her long tail swished in happiness. Fin's hands flew into the air before she jogged over, a large smile splitting her face. The feline stood, which caused the girl to pout. Elazul almost had to crack a smile. The cat woman was easily a good few inches taller than Findabhair, and even without her platform sandals, she would have still been.

Elazul hadn't noticed how short the girl was, use to being with Pearl all the time. They were around the same height.

"You'll get taller someday." the feline purred, "Just not today apparently." Fin play shoved the girl before turning to Elazul. Her hands danced a moment.

"Blue Stone? That's an odd name." Fin glared at her, while the male merely raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"My name is Elazul."

"Daena." Daena turned back to Fin. "Matilda wanted to see you, but she's resting right now, how long are you going to be in Gato?" Fin's hands moved again and Elazul had to wonder how Daena could actually understand them. To him, they looked like a bunch of random movements. They were never ending, and when he was going to ask himself, Daena spoke up. "Yeah, she was here for a bit."

Elazul perked up. "She was! Is she still here?"

Daena shook her head, "No, she left after a day, saying something was calling her. She did have a map with her, it looked like Trian's." Fin nodded, explaining that Trian had seen her.

"No, there was nothing marked on the map except of his chicken scratches."

"Please, is there any way someone could have seen her? Pearl is like a sister to me..." Daena paused again. There were some guards out, and a Sproutling...

"The Sproutling might have seen her. It's been screaming around here for awhile, but refuses treatment. I recall your Pearl offer if there was anything she could do for it." Fin's head dropped. She didn't want to ask a Sproutling for help.

Racing feet and gasping air drew the three's attention from their current problem. A nun stumbled down the hall, gasping slightly as she dropped to her knees. Daena and Fin quickly closed the gap. "What is it?"

"Ma'am, Sir Rubens was found dead on the terrace just a few minutes ago."

"What?!" Elazul had already darted off, quickly followed by Fin.

Daena growled. "Close off all exits. We can't have another mishap like last time." The nun nodded and stood up. Daena turned around to enter the room behind her.

///

Inspector Boyd was popping in anger. His mouse like face was almost the same color as his jacket and hat as he paced furiously back and forth. The body of Rubens was just being covered when Fin and Elazul entered. Elazul elbowed his way past the mulling nuns to stare wide eyed at the body. His piercing blue eyes spotted the gaping hole in the male's chest before a blanket was placed over him.

There was a gasp from the crowd when the body dissolved in red sparks that glittered like blood.

The remaining Jumi quickly turned around and almost sighed in relief that no was crying.

"It's you again!" the inspector growled pushing past the crowd to grab Fin's wrist and pull her towards him. Despite her height, she was almost doubled over. "I've got you now! You can't fool me this time!"

"It wasn't her, she was with me the entire time." Elazul interrupted, taking a step forwards.

The inspector ignored him. "Your in co-hoots with Sandra now?! How low could you possible go?" Fin's face remained impassive, though a spark of furry did reach her emerald eyes. Her free hand clenched tightly, her nails digging crescents into her palm. But, she contained her temper. It would do no good to hit the mouse man now.

"That is enough Inspector Boyd." snapped an elderly voice. Daena emerged from the rocky entry way, followed by a very old looking woman in red and white robes. She was hunched over and leaned heavily on her walking cane, but her head was held up high and authority rang in her wispy voice. Daena's tail twitched and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's just as the man said, Findabhair was with him and myself the whole time. I even have eyewitnesses."

"You can let her go now, Inspector. Let the past rest so that you may find the real culprit." Inspector Boyd hesitated for a second, then let go of the girl's wrist. She stood up, rubbing the abused appendage. Turning away, she bowed to the old woman. The woman chuckled. "No need, Findabhair. I know you respect me." Fin cracked a smile that drifted away when she spotted Elazul walk past her and the Abbess in a few quick strides and retrieve something green wedged between two rocks.

"Does this look familiar?"

_Sproutling leaf._

Then it clicked. Fin signed something quickly to her cat like friend. "A nun? No, we haven't had any enroll lately."

"I guess we need name tags." Matilda said lightly. Daena's eyes widened as she remembered the last breech. A servant of Irwin who disguised as a nun...

"Why would they attack Rubens though?" "

Rubens was a Jumi." The group glanced over towards the Inspector, now smoking his pipe and pacing. "The nun must have been the jewel hunter, Sandra."

Tapping her chin and leaning more fully on her cane- she was starting to tire- Matilda pondered. "I had no knowledge that he was a Jumi."

"Nor did I."

Elazul was stunned at this new information. "He's been here for Goddess knows how long, and you didn't even know what he was?!"

"We do not force secrets out of those who do not wish to tell. They are allowed to walk their own paths." The elderly Abbess informed, meeting the males glare with her withered gaze. Within seconds, the Jumi had turned away, growing in frustration. He wasn't mad at the old woman or the cat, he was angry that he had finally found another and had let him die. If he would have just pressed the issue.

Inspector Boyd took one last drag from his pipe, calmed his nerves, and looked towards the blonde warrior. "You are the last person I want to ask for help, but I'm aware you know the caves and paths of the dungeon better than most nuns here. I want you to investigate the outer Gato area until the waterfall. Will you help?"

Fin's hands waved in the air. Daena frowned. Better not translate the first ones..."She said a few rather insulting words, then 'I will help, as long as you leave me alone after this'." The inspector's face colored, mouse like ears steaming.

The case on the girl wasn't closed yet! He needed to catch her!... but...

He needed to catch Sandra more. "Fine."

"I will help search too." Elazul said, looking at the Sproutling leaf. Daena reached behind her back, loosen her weapon; a flail. "I will take Abbess Matilda back to her room and I will search as well."

///

Findabhair slid down the hill leading into the Gato Caves, moving out of the way so that Elazul did not run into her in his haste. His head tilted around to look at the multiple paths. If they had to search all the paths, they'd never catch the murder. Something tugged on his cape. "Would you stop doing that?"

_Would your rather I whistle?_

She placed her fingers to her lips in a gesture.

The Jumi male gave her a dry look. "Fine. Whatever. What is it?" Fin pointed towards a leaf, resting on the ground in the entrance to a cave. She waved her hand.

_The sick Sproutling must be following her... I think it's a her..._ _Even if we don't find Sandra first, we'll find the Sproutling._

Elazul bent down to grab the leaf before both warriors proceeded into the cave. Fin untied her axe and shouldered it carefully.

"That really can not be your weapon." Fin raised an eyebrow, but decided to ignore the comment. Of course it was her weapon. What else would she fight with? A dinky sword? No no no.

She had used a sword before, and she didn't like the memory of it much.

Fin walked down the path, keeping her emerald eyes open for any monsters. The caves were normally crawling with them. Whether lucky or not, the two didn't run into any until they were outside the mouth and a couple of needle beaks lunged at them. The really didn't stand a chance... poor little birdies. Fin stuck her tongue out at the Jumi as she re-shouldered the weapon and walked on, snatching a few feathers and stuffing them into her pocket. Elazul sheathed his own and followed. His hunch of correct.

///

They followed the leaves out of the caves and into an area with a waterfall. The blonde fighter was at this point, confused.

If the Sproutling was following the nun, why would they come here? There was no place to go after the waterfall and Cancun Bird's nest. It would have been easier to just leave the Temple all together. Unless, they were trying to get someone fast and far away. Whatever the case, the two ran across the tree bridge and up the steep slope that led to the Cancun's nest.

Fin reached the top first, stopping short to avoid tripping over the Sproutling again. It's eyes were glued to the nun. "Can you really help me? It didn't look like you helped the red man."

"I helped him in a different way. Come over here and I can get ride of the Popo bug... oh! More company! Can I help you?" The nun asked kindly.

"Where is Rubens' core?!" Elazul growled, reaching for his sword.

The Nun's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I was wonder if you were still around." Fin reached out and wrapped her free arm around the Sproutling to stop it from going closer. That was a bad move on her part, but she was more afraid what the woman would do. Her axe slipped from her grasp and she landed on her knees, arms still securely around the little creature who was as still as she was.

"Findabhair?"

"Sandra!" Inspector Boyd roared, charging up the hill, narrowly missing both warriors and Sproutling. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"

Before the mouse man could get close, the nun erupted in a flash of light only to reveal a slender, leggy woman with bright red hair and a green dress. She smirked evilly. One slender hand reached behind her back to retrieve a hook attacked to a long piece of rope. "No one will ever catch me." Spinning the hook around, she threw it up into the air. It sunk into the feathers of a large bird that was starting to take flight. Inspector Boyd lunged again, but Sandra was already up in the air, laughing. "Be careful Jumi boy! Wouldn't want your precious Guardian hurt! I'll be after you soon! Ta ta for now!" Elazul glared at the rapidly shrinking form, before turning back to the blonde, still locked in some form of trance. Inspector Boyd growled lowly, ears making a popping sound and once again, red in the face out of anger.

"Blast it! The Cancun... This is horrible, another Jumi was murdered..." He turned, eyes meeting the strange sight of Elazul trying to pull Findabhair's arms free of the little creature. She wasn't budging however.

"Damn it. Let go already." He growled, taking hold of her arm.

"You're not going to be able to make her let go that way." sounded a familiar felines voice. Daena trudged up the hill, idly spinning her flail. "Inspector, the Cancun bird is heading towards Geo. The murderer is probably going there. " Kneeling down to Findabhair's eye level, the monk flicked the girl in the forehead. Elazul let go of her arm slowly.

Fin sucked air sharply through her teeth, flailing back and rubbing her forehead. The Sproutling looking around once before meandering off back down towards the waterfall.

Twisting her body, Fin broke out in a grin. Opening her mouth, a squeaky voice echoed out, "I saw your pearly lady in the drippy caverns! It's all green and shiny! Though, there are no butterflies or flowers. I like butterflies and flowers! The pink Boinks are fun though! Tee hee!" Elazul cast a weirded out look towards Daena who sighed and once again, flicked the blonde in the exact same spot.

_Ouch!_

Fin clutched her head again, biting her lip. Letting one hand go, she let her fingers wander to her feline friends and lightly slapped her in the arm. The hand pulled back to dance with the other.

"You did the creepy Sproutling thing."

_That explains why I want to go pick flowers and play with a butterfly.... Goddess, I hate those little buggers!_

"Sandra got away, but it looks like your missing person might be in the Mekiv Caverns." Daena explained, standing up and pulling Findabhair up with her. Turning towards Elazul, she went to help him, but he batted her hand away.

"Explain what the hell that was! I thought you couldn't speak and how did you magically guessed where Pearl was?!"

Fin gave Daena a weary glance. "She's always been able to do that, one of the reasons she dislikes them and wont let them touch her. The voice was actually 'stolen' from the Sproutling, presumably, in the Mekiv Caverns. There are a couple down there."

"That doesn't make any sense."

_Nothing really does. But if you want the trick, gladly take it_.

Daena rubbed her hair, ignoring the look that was directed towards Fin. Fin quickly signed something. "She says 'When we meet Elysia again, I'll explain more. You'll have to trust me on this though, Pearl is in the Caverns'." Elazul gave the two one last final glance, before sighing and walking back down the path after the Sproutling.

///

"I insist you stay here for the evening. The sun is nearly set as it is." The shop nun implored, grabbing onto Fin's arm. "I do not want you walking around at night. Besides, if you leave first thing in the morning, you can make it to the Caverns by sunset."

_But Elysia would prefer to go at night, and she's bringing the wagon so that we can rest a bit._

"That's not the same thing." her friend mumbled. "Daena! Make her listen."

Daena grinned. "She wont listen to me, besides, if we keep the Jumi here any longer, I think he might go insane." The three woman looked out the door to the blue male, gazing down the path and far into the distance. His mind must have been packed with information.

_Besides, what the Sproutling said..._

"Finny. You know very well that that channel could have been old. They are not good at keeping time."

_All the more reason for us to leave now._

As if on cue, the sound of wheels echoed down the path. Fin detached herself from her friend and began to walk down the path. Daena trailing behind her. Elysia was leaning languidly across the Grey Ox, smile pulled into a smirk as her fingers drummed on her blue chin. "All aboard the Wagon Express. I got here as fast I could make Oni go." Oni mooed, swishing his tail in slight irritation. They had gone very fast, and it was the blood-suckers fault they had been slowed. Said creature cast a glare towards the Jumi Knight as he picked his way down the path. "Ugh."

She pushed herself up as Fin frowned at her. Elysia shrugged and gracefully settled saddle side on Oni's back. The blonde warrior and the Lapis Knight jumped into the back of the wagon. With one last wave towards the nun and Daena, the wagon trudged off.

"Now, explain to me: How did you find out where Pearl was from the Sproutling?"

* * *

Oh noes! An evil cliffy that actually goes with the game cause only your character can use it! Can you guess what it's called?

(*): Excerpt 46: Spiritual War (Legend of Mana History)


	4. Chapter 4: Choices Choices

**Chapter Number:** Four  
**Chapter Title:** Choices Choices  
**Story rating:** T  
**Publish Date:** February 25, 2009  
**Beta:** NONE! Muahahaha!  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Mana.  
Um... I lack anything witty today...  
**Warnings:** Small amounts of swearing, little occness, parallels.  
**Notes:  
**Wahhh! I'm soooo sorry for how late this is! The month of January was horrible, and the first half of Feb wasn't any better. I got really, really sick (out of school for around twelve days), then we had midterms and college stuff. I also got a Xbox 360 and the games, Last Remnant and Fable 2 so.... I've been a horrible person!  
**Muse:** My reviewers and my readers.

* * *

"'We call it multiple names, but the name we use most is Syncro Effect.'" Elysia translated, idly running her blue fingers in the Grey Ox's off-white fur. He didn't seem to mine too much. He minded the fact that his succubus friend was seated backwards. What if a branch came and knocked her on her noggin? It would be funny, but also very painful.

"We?"

"'Trian, Elysia, myself, and a select others'. I use to call it the crazy link until she started connecting with me." Fin stuck her tongue out at the last remark, then attempted to explain more through her friend. Everything with a soul has an ability that can be tapped in to. As of the moment, there were no real names for these abilities seeing as the only people who could successfully link was Trian and Findabhear. "'Trian happens to be better at it'."

Shifting, the blonde woman leaned back to rest against the side of the wagon, her hands still flying and Elysia still speaking. Elazul noted that her voice sounded less mocking, like Findabhear was speaking directly through the blood sucker... though it wouldn't surprise him if she were.

"'Its easier to use if you've known the person for a long time. Train and myself can link to each other just by standing near each other. Sproutlings are another matter. A mere touch will send me into their mind, even if I only just met them. Trian can not do this though. He's never been able to tap into Sproutlings... the lucky jerk'."

Elazul took a moment to absorb the information. Their connection was similar to a Jumi's, though there was some drastic differences. The link was defiantly Mana, but human's with a link to Mana were rare and far between these days...

"Findabhear and Trian are part of the now extinct Mana Clan, so in a sense, they are very similar to Jumi. No, I did not read your mind." Elysia defended at the look sent by the Jumi. His face said it all. Though, the two girls had to give him credit for keeping his emotions off his face. It was just a lot of new information.

"If you are from the Mana Clan, you know where the Sword of Mana is."

Fin shook her head, emerald eyes darkening. _I do not_.

* * *

The rest of the trip passed quietly enough... once again. The Jumi male offered no more conversation, though this seemed mainly because he was in his own thoughts. Elysia too did not seem to feel like talking. On normal occasions, this would have worried the blonde warrior, but instead it proved perfect. The succubus had brought Fin's history book, along with a novel that was half dangling from Elazul's hands. He would periodically flip through a page, only to once again gaze off to the back of the wagon.

Findabhear flipped her page over, loving the feel of the worn pages on her fingertips and the way the book crackled because of it's age. It rested her mind, taking it away from the death at Gato. Sure, Fin had not know Ruben's very well, but it was still weird to know she would not see him again when she visited Daena.

_"Elise, who called herself Anuella, was the daughter of Anise. She had the power to bring mundane objects to life. After fleeing her mother's self-righteous rule, she settled in the northern mountains and there created a group of dolls who would obey her every command. They came to be called magical beings, and her art was promulgated by mages who idolized her."*  
_  
What a befitting passage for the moment....

Fin looked out of the wagon with a slight distain for the area they were passing. A road branched off the main route, weaving towards a place the girl didn't particularly like; the Junkyard. She could see the mounds of..._stuff_... even in the darkness of the night. Rubbish, trinkets, toys... Professor Bomb lived there, along with Louie, but so didn't other creatures who were filled with contempt towards any living thing.

Elysia gently tapped Oni's flank, making him pick up his hooves and his pace. The suddent movement had Elazul jolting from his thoughts -or doze- dropping the book. "We'll be there in less than three hours." The blue-skinned creature informed, looking towards the sky. Dawn would be approaching soon as well. Well, it wasn't as if Findabhear couldn't walk or drive the wagon herself.

True to her word, it took less than three hours for the Mana energy to pick up and the luminous cave entrance to appear, hidden behind lesser rocks and underbrush. The Mekiv Caverns was a beautifully, eerie place. The inside was wet with glowing rock formations and pink plants. Different tunnels led into a sometimes frustrating maze, but in general it was not hard to navigate. Finding someone inside however was a different story.

Fin easily climbed out of the wagon, dragging her axe ("Hey! Watch the wood!") behind her to rest on her shoulder. Elazul stretched, popping his crystallized arm... wait....  
Why did I not notice that before? (A/N: Because... I forgot to put that minor detail in... Don't look at me like that! .... Fine! I'll leave.)

With a half shrug, Fin turned as her demi-human friend walked into the cavern, followed by the Jumi swordsman. She hurried in after, sliding to a halt before she toppled in Elazul and they both took a trip down the make-shift ramp/stairs. He stood in the entrance, head turned slightly, her core giving off an odd hum.

Elysia grit her teeth as her hands covered her ears, hissing a sharp "Turn it down". Elazul ignored her though the hum dwindled a bit. "I sense a brilliance nearby... it must be Pearl!"  
Fin silently thanked the Sproutling link. It had been correct for once, and Pearl was actually still inside the caverns. Now the question was: where? The caverns were large, full of monsters, and there were plenty of places to wonder off too.

"It's coming from the lower levels." Elazul informed. Findabhear nodded once as she walked towards the fork. One led to the left, the other the right... both led to more paths that led down. Fin frowned and looked towards a ledge that led to a twelve foot fall. It was one of the shallower ones. Walk through tunnels and get ambushed by monsters, or jump off a legde and get to the lower levels quicker. Choices choices.

Fin's face broke into a grin... that was quickly wiped off when Elysia took her upper arm and started to drag her down the right hand path. "Yeah, no." Elazul watched in mild amusement as he followed the two down the path.

Half an hour later, Elazul was starting to get a little bit more worried. Pearl's core had started to hum more clearly -which meant they were getting closer- but there was a note of fear... a lot of fear.

Maybe they should have jumped and taken their chances, Elazul thought as he blocked another flying claw from the blue crab group they had run into. Fin brought her axe down, easily cracking through the blue shells with the weight. In a fluid movement, she brought the axe around and slammed another into a glowing rock formation. Another one earned a swift kick into Elysia's awaiting fist.

"Hey Finny, what other creatures are down here?" the bloodsucker asked, stepping on a crab so that her blonde friend could dislodge her axe. Fin thought for a second, hands coming up.

_Duelle said he thought he saw a Du'Inke. That's it other than the monsters we've fought already._

"Okay."

Elazul frowned, "Why do you ask?"

Shrugging, the blue skinned woman waved her hand in the direction they were heading in. "Thought I saw something large going that way."

A scream echoed out, vibrating off the rocks and sending small bits of rubble on the three. Elazul looked towards the direction, and with a yell of "Pearl!" took off. Fin gave her friend an aspirated look, charging after the male. Elysia sighed, but followed.

The three found themselves at a dead end. There was no Pearl, and no monster however. Only a unlit lamp. Fin walked over to it, picking the item up off the floor. The power of Mana energy that welled up almost cause the blonde warrior to drop the lamp. Looking like a dropping flower, the lamp had a foxglove shaped head and six green legs poking out. Honestly, the Firefly Lamp was really a lamp that should be set on a desk, not carried around.

There was a small piece of paper tied around the base, but before Findabhear could open it, Elazul yelled, "Watch it!" As fast as lightning, Fin held the lamp to her chest and raised her axe just as the tip of a very large, and very heavy skull was about to land on her head. A quiet curse fell for the girl's lips. Not about the break the Firefly Lamp, Fin dropped the axe and rolled away, artifact cradled to her chest.

Elysia growled, crouching down to spring up at the creature who had attacked her friend. It was the Du'Inke; a large purple ape who wore leather sandals and breathed ice/fire.  
Elazul held his sword up, watching as Fin flipped to her feet, placing the lamp carefully on the ground, slightly hidden behind some rocks. The blonde flashed a grin towards the male as she threw herself forwards, snatching the axe and avoiding a downward blow from the Du'inke. Elysia flipped off the monster's shoulder, landing lightly next to Elazul, "I'm not much of a fighter, so I'll look for this Pearl girl. Findabhear get's hurt, I will drain you." Elazul threw her a glare before the succubus darted off. He snarled and threw himself at the Du'Inke.  
Fin gave him a thumbs up, as if reassuring him that Elysia wouldn't do anything to his guardian. Ducking low, he aimed a slash towards the creature's unprotected leg.

The Du'Inke cried out when the blade bit into the furry flesh, and lashed out, sending Elazul skidding back. Fin, distracted, almost failed to see the creature slam his own skull hammer into the ceiling, sending large chunks of spiked rocks onto the two. While Fin and Elazul dodged, the Du'Inke took his advantage. Swinging his weapon, he brought it down brutally on the blonde fighter's unprotected form.

"Findabhear!"

The Du'Inke growled a laugh and lifted his weapon... only to see Fin hanging from one of the spikes protruding off the skull of his hammer, her axe strapped to her back loosely. With a cheeky grin, Fin pulled herself strait and jumped, landing on the creature's shoulder. Her body was glowing, light flooding down the length of her weapon. A small hand waved and she jumped up into the air, just in time to avoid the large light beam that was emitting from Elazul's own glowing sword. Findabhear raised her two-handed axe.

"Lai Strike!"  
"Tidal Wave!"

* * *

Fin coughed, waving her hand to clear up some clean breathing air. Elazul was clumsily picking himself up, wringing out his soaking cape. Fin vaguely wondered if the cape would act like sand and absorb the water or fall apart.... yeah, she really didn't feel bad about soaking the Jumi male.  
He gave her a dry (?) look, "Warning next time would be good."

_Glowing body wasn't enough?  
_  
Fin waved his comment aside with her hand and proceeded to the Du'Inke's skull hammer. The actual creature was buried under rubble that had fallen during the combined attacks. She was wondering how she was going to bring the axe home with her when Elysia appeared from within a very small tunnel, too small for a Du'Inke to get to. Behind her was a meek looking woman with blond hair and a white gown, now darkened with dirt. Her pretty face looked at everything in shock and that was when Fin caught the tell tale sign of a white core resting just below her collar bone.

"Pearl!"

"Elazul!" The pearly girl dashed from around the succubus to stand just in front of Elazul, her core shining like a small star. Blue light emitted from Elazul's own core, glowing with relief, but his face was stern.

"I told you not to go wandering off by yourself! What if you had been hurt!" Pearl shied away, clutching her hands in front of her and looking at the ground.

"I was thinking..."

"You don't need to think anymore. For now you should just stay safe by my side."

"But..."

"That's enough!" Pearl shrunk back from Elazul even more, looking even smaller and frailer under the Lapis Lazuli Jumi's glare and muttering apologizes in a quiet voice. Findabhear gave a sharp whistle, frowning. Elysia was... simply confused. Why was this Jumi acting so weak? This little Pearl had such power running through her.... yet she cowered before one so young?

"Stay out of this." Elazul growled towards the blonde warrior. Elysia hissed, but did not need to do anything as a small rock sailed through the air and Fin gave him a rather universal sign as she stood, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Pearl spun around, having not noticed the other fighter among the glowing stones and remnants of he ceiling. Elysia had scared her enough.

"Who is that?" Pearl asked quietly, looking at her knight.

"Just someone who helped me find you... a strange kind of person."

_Didn't Niccolo say something like that early... yesterday... what day is it? Wait wait! Strange? That one is overused._

"A thank you would be nice, you ungrateful twat." hissed Elysia. She turned her head towards Pearl, dark eyes lightening up a bit. "My name is Elysia, and that is Findabhear." Fin waved, eyes closed and smiling. Something about her... made Pearl trust her more than she wanted. Did Elazul feel it too? Star grey eyes darted to the male for a brief second before trailing back to the warrior. He did. That was one of the reasons he wanted to leave.

The feeling reminded her slightly of a certain blonde haired man she had met earlier... in a shy voice, Pearl murmured, "Are you the Findabhear that is related to a traveler named Mr. Trian?" Fin nodded.

"They are cousins."

"Oh. Here." Pearl reached into the front of her gown to produce a crumpled, yellowing map.

Elysia snorted, "I'm surprised you even made it back here. That map is ancient." And so it was. The map itself was drawn hundred and hundred of years ago. Towns that were no longer in this land were still on the map, including the Mana Sanctuary where the Mana Clan lived, a castle that had long been destroyed, and a few cities that had once contained the Jumi. Fin took the offered parchment. She placed her hands on a 'thank you' gesture.

"We'll be seeing you around. Let's go, Pearl." The young knight was getting antsy; talking wasn't his big thing. He turned on his heel, and proceeded back down the way the three had came. Pearl gave a bobbing little smile before she too ran off.

It wasn't long that the sound of footsteps dimmed, and Elysia and Findabhear stood alone.

"She didn't mention the lamp." The nightwalker remarked. "Meaning, she either forgot about it, or it was placed here after she hid from the giant monkey."  
Fin didn't need to answer to agree. Instead, she walked over to the hammer. "We are not taking that thing home." She giggled at the glare. Kneeling back down by the giant skull, the human female reached into one of the eye sockets. Her fingers brushed something smooth and with a soundless grunt, she pulled it out. The item was a green stone the size of a large egg. Appropriately, the name of the artifact was the Jade Egg.

Fin held it outstretched in her palm, giving a sad look towards her demi-human friend. Five artifacts in the course of two days. Elysia eyed the Jade Egg, her beautiful face showing nothing.

It wasn't really a surprise that Findabhear had received three from Niccolo on the Highway. He could have been holding them for quiet some time now, but to find two in a cave they just happened to be in... that rarely happed. Fin would have guessed the Jade Egg had always been in the Du'Inke's hammer, but the lamp?  
Wait... didn't it have a note.

Fin jumped up and jogged to the hiding spot where the lamp sat. With deft fingers, she pulled the note off and opened it.

Fin crumpled the paper up, shoving it deeply into her pocket. The succubus raised a slender eyebrow that raised even higher when the warrior signed;  
"The later."

* * *

Curled up in the wagon looking like a porcelain doll, Fin slept the entire ride home. One arm was draped over her history book, the other clutching the map Pearl had given her. She had been attempting to pick out a location on the worn, old map when her system had finally said 'beddy-bye-time' and crashed.

When the two tired travelers arrived Home, Findabhear (kind of) announced that they were going to Lumina. 'They' meaning Findabhear and Elysia, then after much insistence and whining, Bud and Lisa.

Forcefully pushing her worry back, Fin shelved all the new artifacts in her library, relocating many of her books to her desk or the floor. She needed some more bookshelves.... Despite everything earlier, the young woman was still beaming. Now she had eleven artifacts.

Jumping down from the chair, Fin landed in a somewhat clean spot. Clean meaning there were only a few pieces of paper on the floor and she only stepped on one. "Finny? When are we leaving for Lumina? Do you think we can do some shopping?"

Fin flashed a grin, her hands moving in the air to tell the time (in the morning) and yes they could do some shopping. Fin herself was planning on doing a little bit of shopping, as well as selling some of her equipment and weapons. Lumina had a pretty good weapon shop, and the only city around that sold quality minerals. The students had good ones, but Glow and Chaos crystals could only be purchased in Lumina. Bud had also wanted to see the mineral shop. Elysia had a friend there who she was 'dieting to see' . Also in Lumina, was the lamp shop "Lamps Limelight". Fin was hoping maybe the lamp maker there could tell her some more about the Firefly Lamp, the only artifact that wasn't put into a proper place yet. It would look great though when lit, that was for sure.

"We're going to Lumina! We're going to Lumina!" Bud chanted semi-quietly, dragging a large bag behind him.

Speaking of traveling, Findabhear shooed her apprentice from the library and walked upstairs. Lil' Cactus would love the stories she had to tell... and the blonde needed another change of cloths...........

* * *

(*): Excerpt 31: Mountain School (Legend of Mana History)

Yes, Trian and Findabhear are not siblings, they are cousins (sort of). I'm not saying anything because then it would be a spoiler. Welp, hoped you enjoyed! I had to grit teeth to get through it, but i did enjoy writing it.

Peace out!  
~Jumi


	5. Chapter 5: Translation

**Chapter Number:** Five  
**Chapter Title:** Translation  
**Story rating:** T  
**Publish Date:** March 30, 2009  
**Beta:** Spell checker count? Nah, seriously, I'm looking for a beta. Anyone willing drop me a line!  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Mana.  
I am merely a bored author who doesn't wanna start another chapter for her own work... my poor editor... wait, why doesn't SHE beta it?!  
_Cause she's busy trying to tie up your loose ends...._  
**Warnings:** Small amounts of swearing, little occness, parallels, creepy horsemen, and mentions of starting an ax murder.  
**Notes:**  
Not much to say this time. A little behind (so much homework and I tend to skip school... it's sooooo boring....) and such. Nothing I can't fix. Though, my chinese teacher may decide to harp on me (again) and then I might get in trouble with my boss (again) and rather nice looking coworker (again). See a pattern?  
Okay, this chapter is kinda an unofficial filler. It has a bit of importance, but it's probably pretty boring to read right now. The Lamp is important though... sorta.... more on it later.  
**Muse:** This time Nakka-sama and Meeerf are my main inspirers, but I would never ever forget to mention my faithful readers!

* * *

When a person travels and fights for a living, they tend to meet a lot of badies. Many of these said badies can be vanquished before they cause too many issues. A swift spell, slash of a weapon, and bam! They are defeated. The traveler continues on their way without any further problems, and maybe some extra lucre jingling in their lucre pouch (why monsters eat gold... the world may never know).

And then, there are villains one can NOT destroy. These evil beings are either much stronger than the poor fighter, or the said traveler is just too scared to take them on.  
The later applied to the blonde haired warrior hiding in the crook of an ally wall, shaded completely by shadows and covering her mouth and nose with her hand. Findabhear had fought many, many diabolical creatures, and she thought she had known the known the worst of them, but none could compare to the terror she was hiding from. A creature so frightening Fin would take on thousands of Du'Inkes and Du'Cates to avoid.

And she couldn't even ax him to death!

That would be murder.

Fin didn't want the Inspector on her back again.

Peeking out from around the stone corner, Fin threw glances up and down the street. Sproutlings, Dudbears, a few pedestrians.... good, he wasn't anywhere near her. But, for precaution's sake, the blonde young woman stepped out of her hiding spot at the same time a group of tavern goers sauntered by. They were too far gone to notice Fin as she joined the ranks, talking loudly and slurring quiet a bit.

She stayed with the group until she spotted Lisa, right where she left her, listening to the performance of Diddle and Capella, swinging her legs back and forth over her shopping bags. Diddle was a slug... creature (Findabhear wasn't exactly sure what he was) who played the music for the monkey performer. He was always attached to his moving record player, they the red clad Capella danced about and juggled. The Dudbears, Bartender, and local tavern mates seemed to enjoy the show, and Diddle and Capella looked much happier.

Last time Fin had seen the duo, Diddle had been upset that only bugs and Sproutlings watched them play and had run away... no, he had stuck a stamp to his head and been carried away to the Luon Highway. By accident. Anyway, Fin and Capella had traveled to the Chobin Hood cave, Diddle and the monkey had gotten in a argument, then she saved them from a Giga Rex. Now, there were being watched by many and loved by the Dudbears.

A smile crept on the girl's lips as she walked over to the table Lisa sat at, away from the bar, but still under the eye of the Bartender. She pulled a seat out and sat down, resting her an arm on the back of the dark chair. One raised eyebrow portrayed the silent question to her apprentice. Fin didn't want Bud wandering around the city of night, Lumina, by himself. He was still young, and there was some shifty people in the back allies. Would he stay away from there?

No. He wouldn't.

"He said he was going to the weapon shop." Lisa informed, looking behind her down the path to a shop at the end, door slightly ajar. The inside glowed brightly and Fin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her green clad charge walking between the counter and displays.

Lisa watched the woman, purple orbs carefully examining her pretty face. "You're getting wrinkles."

Fin snapped out of her thoughts, glancing at Lisa, eyes wide. At the elf's grin, she sighed and mouthed, "Brat."

"Did you find the lamp shop?" Fin shuddered visibly. Yeah, she had found it, and also found the Ultimate Evil... or one of them. Then turn tailed and ran like a scared little rabbite. She hadn't even gotten up the stone stairs when _he_ crossed her path, lute in hand and singing loudly. "Oh, you ran into Gilbert?" Nod. "Who's he after this time?" Shoulder shrug. "Probably the lamp seller." Nod.

"Dub!" Both girl's jumped as a dog faced bear poked over the edge of the table. Fin opened her mouth, then closed it slowly.

Lisa answered, "Dub. Duba bub?"

"Dadda?"

"Dud. Duda dud Dadda." The Dudbear tilted his head, beady black eyes trailing to the bag strapped under Fin's ax. It raised a tan paw.

"Dadda!"

"Dud dud! Duda dadda." Lisa explained, reading Fin's lips for translations. Few people could understand the crazy creatures, Lisa being one who couldn't.

The Dudbear gave her a sinister, sly look. It moved closer to Fin, then quick as lightning (she didn't know they could be quick), the creature tore the bag off her shoulder and ran. Fin was on her feet in seconds, tipping the chair over and vaulting over heads. of the tavern occupants. Lisa franticly gathered her bags, trying to keep up with her Master.

* * *

_You've got to be kidding me?!_

A very, very unimpressed Findabhear stood glaring with fiery emerald eyes at the half horse, half man before her, holding the bag up with a triumphant smirk. The stupid little Dudbear had been bribed! Gilbert told it to retrieve the bag from Findabhear in exchange for information on the location of the idiot creature's Dog God. "Aww! My lovely, little wanderer returns to her true love once more!" Gilbert cried in joy, tossing the bag onto his green clad shoulder and strumming obnoxiously on his lute for the night sky to hear. Fin thought it should start raining.

"What is with the face, my dear? If I give you your harp we could make beautiful music together!"

_Yeah, give me my entire bag while your at it._

Honestly, Fin was two fingers lengths close to grabbing her ax and hacking him into little bits. Then she'd burn those bits, sweep 'em up, put them in a vase and throw the vase of a cliff... or bury it in a dragon's den.

Turning sharply on her heel, the girl trudged back down the stairs, ignoring the sullen whines from the centaur man. She didn't think she could restrain herself anymore. He was... ugh! With a mud brown horse body and shaggy dirt hair, he wasn't very appealing to begin with. He wore a stupid, floppy green hat with a leather belt wrapped around it, and jacket over a white undershirt. He claimed he was sooooo beautiful.... At this point, Fin would even call Escad handsome! He was compared to Gilbert...

Though, Elazul held a bonfire on both of them. Now, he was good looking guy. Weird cloths and an odd attitude, but he was still a nice person... or so she believed. Meh... maybe not so much sometimes.

Halfway down the stairs, Gilbert cried out, "Wait! I will give you your pack back if you do me a favor!" Fin turned, eyebrow raised. She was going to get it back her way, Bud's way, or his way. Her and Bud's way could get them in trouble, so why not listen to his? "I need to sell six lamps for my darling Monique."

_What happen to 'true love'?_

"If you would sell three of them, I will give you your backpack back."

Well, thought sounded easy enough. Not only would Fin get her bag back, she'd also have Gilbert, the world's greatest evil, away from her. Hopefully this Monique liked him.  
Fin had never personally met Monique, the siren lamp maker and owner of Lamp's Limelight. Her trade never led her to the shop, only the Gem Shop and the Item Depo. Monique, from the few occasions Findabhear did see her, was like all sirens; her lower half was bird like, with cream feathered legs, talon feet, while her upper body was that of a pretty girl with green and lavender wings. Her hair was blond, held back with a purple and white bonnet that matched her purple and pink blouse.

Selling three lamps didn't sound too hard. There was plenty of people around, someone had to buy one.

With a sigh, Fin held out her hands for the lamps... only to almost break all three of them when a small voice sounded behind her, "If we each sell one, we'll be done in time to eat dinner."

Bud quickly snagged a lamp, passing it to Lisa, then grabbed his own, leaving their master with a circular shaped one tied to the end of a stick. It was pretty, made of faded, Heart Mint green tissue paper and supported by a stripped root. It was made to be hung outside or walked with. Lisa's was small, like a child's night light, in the shape of a Peach Puppy and the exact same color, light pink. Bud's was... the most annoying thing. It was a chain of lights, made of multicolored balls that blinked between the seven colors of the rainbow.... every two seconds... and they couldn't turn it off.

"Bring me back the lucre. I will sell the remaining three." Fin, Lisa, and Bud wasted no time in leaving as Gilbert started to sing loudly about his love for the lamp seller.

* * *

Fin held out the gold for the lamps, the other hand waiting for her bag. If the Firefly Lamp was so much as chipped, Gilbert would be no more. Lisa stood ready.

"Oh! You have sold all the lamps! Me and my beloved will be forever happy!" Gilbert snatched the lucre from the blonde warrior' hand, placing her bag on the outstretched appendage like promised. With a happy note, he trotted through the door, closing it behind him. Fin turned and leapt down the stairs, landing gracefully at the bottom. Bud looked at her, eyes wide. "Master, there was this REALLY COOL item in the Gem Shop I want you to see."

_Translation: I helped you sell the lamps and possibly forever get Gilbert off your back. AND you'll be able to talk to Monique because you wont be a wuss sense he's not there. You owe me, and I've run out of allowance._

Well, there was logic. And they did deserve a reward. What they bought they spent with their own money, but one or two things from her wouldn't hurt. Yup, Fin tended to spoil her apprentices. Why? Because they were adorable and she could. Besides, she rarely saw them want anything bad enough to pull their tricks out. Better put on the stern master look though, just for show. Her hands flashed before her, face giving a mock frown. The younger twin's eyes instantly lit up and he dashed off ahead of her, nearly tripping over his robe in his haste. No one would dare touch him when they knew Fin was behind him, so she wasn't too worried.

_Do you want anything Lisa?_

"Nah. I'm good for right now."

_Translation: I'll tell you if I see anything._

The Gem Shop was close by, and the second the two females entered, they spotted Bud almost drooling over a glass case set against the far end of the circular shop, the salesmen eyeing him wearily. Lisa quickly walked over to see what he was looking at, shaking her head. That wasn't good. Fin trudged forwards, almost knocking into someone who had stepped out behind the pillar holding the roof up over the building. He was a mousy looking male, with orange hair pulled up into a pony tail and large glasses. His purple tunic and loss pants defiantly did not help the bookworm appearance of him.

At first glance, Fin had believed him to be a she, but he had an androgynous face. Huh, he looked rather familiar. "Sorry about that, ma'am. I did not see you there. I swear, these glasses do not work."

Shaking her head, Fin made the sign for apology. It was her fault anyway. "She says she's sorry. It was her fault." Bud called, not looking up from the case. The purple male laughed, but half of it did not meet his eyes. Eyes that flicked lightly when they saw her, like they had met. But, Fin had never seen him before.

"Still, I should have been paying attention. My name is Alex, the owner of the gem store in Geo. I'm looking for beautiful stones." Alex did not extend his hand, but smiled sweetly. Fin grinned back, it was kind of contagious. "Her name is Findabhear, and it's a pleasure to meet you." Lisa added, wandering around the display cases and book shelves. The blonde merely thought that these kids knew her too well, though it helped in times like these.

"The pleasure is mine, but if you excuse me, I must make my leave. I saw no jewels that sparkled the way I like." Bowing his head, Alex headed for the door, stopping for a brief second to look at the gem store's owner before walking out.

"He was nice." Lisa replied, looking at a display of old books and the stone.

'Yeah yeah. Finny, come here!" Bud exclaimed, dragging the young woman to the case.

* * *

Bud bounded happily back towards the way to Lamp's Limelight, holding the scale up high above him. Dragon scales were hard to find, even for the blonde. This one glittered hundreds of different colors as it hit lights at different angles. The Dragon must have been a beauty. The store owner had even told her that the creature had not been killed. The scale had fallen off and someone had wandered across it.

Lisa had gone ahead of the two, scouting out ahead. When she didn't come back, Fin assumed Gilbert had left. And indeed, he wasn't;t anywhere outside or inside the shop. Only a slightly sulking Monique.

Wait... sulking... _Never mind. I'll just get this done and over with. By then Elysia should be done... hopefully... she might be done already and waiting..._

"Can I help you?" The most beautiful voice ever to be heard asked. Fin looked up. She had never heard a Siren before.

Swallowing her shock, the blonde warrior shook her head. Bud was the one to answer, while the elder took her bag off and unwrapped the Firefly Lamp. Monique gasped at the sight, slim hands flitting over the bell shaped head, lifting the object up to get a better look. "We were wondering if you sold this lamp to anyone." By her reaction, Fin could already guess what she would say.

She was right. "No. I've never seen such a lovely piece. I was going to ask where you found it."

The bird woman examined every inch of the Lamp, taking mental measurements. There was no possibility that the blonde would sell it, so maybe she could re-create something similar. Monique held the lamp up to the light, and caught sight of something. It looked like a little hinge.

Bud was attempting to scold his master, but all the woman did was smile and point to the scale he held in his little palm. She also knew they had enjoyed the little outing, time to get away from the house and spend a few days with their caretaker.

"Ma'am, there is something inside the lamp." Monique interrupted, trying to pry the little knob open. It sat on the underside of the vase, right under the stand. But no matter how she tugged, the latch wouldn't open. Findabhear took the artifact, trying her luck. Nothing. Even Bud and Lisa's small fingers couldn't pry it open. Fin scowled at the thing. The meaning behind the note they had retrieved from the Lamp yesterday was probably locked inside there. On closer inspection, she noticed that their was a small keyhole. No bigger than a person's pinky nail. They'd need to find the key.

A sad sigh brought her attention back. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help. It looks important." A waved had dismissed the siren's worries. Carefully, she tucked the lamp back into her back. Maybe, someday the secret inside the Lamp would be revealed... or the latch would break.

For some reason, Findabhear thought it was important to open the artifact, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why now. Sure, the note had been odd, but it hadn't led to apprehension until now.

Oh well. I'll cross that road when I get there.

"Hey, Fin?" Lisa was shifting from foot to foot, her head downcast, but her eyes shifted to something beside her.

_Translation: I found what I want, but it's kind of pricey...._

"Your name is Findabhear? Correct?" Monique question, tone hardening a bit. Opps. Fin ignored her for a second, dishing out the gold and leaving it on the counter. She knew exactly why the siren was mad at her now.

Damn him.

Fin laughed silently, sheepishly rubbing her head and aggravating her hair pipes. Taking hold of Bud's hood, she half dragged the boy out, signing to Lisa to be quick.

* * *

"So, you got nothing out of this trip?"

_Well, I have a pretty empty wallet if that eases any stings._

"Lucre count doesn't apply."

Then Fin had nothing... wait!

"Happy twins doesn't either."

Nope, she had nothing other then a newly frustrating artifact, a mad siren, and a crazy horseman. Geez....

Elysia shifted, a sly grin creeping across pretty lips. SHE had gotten information. It wasn't on the Lamp or any other artifacts per-say. It was actually on a certain dimwit. A few dimwits actually. "Well, while you were shopping, Guri told me some things." Guri was the succubus' goblin aquantance. He was a short little guy, not even coming to Fin's hip, with large, pearly fangs, and and welding an ax not too dissimilar to Findabhear's own. He was pretty nice, but annoying to listen to for too long. Guri believed he was the greatest thing sense the Wisdoms came along. Little bugger...

Fin leaned back in her chair, making the item balance on its back legs while she waited for Elysia to continued. Bud was happily gouging himself on sandwiches and fruit, every once in awhile stopping just long enough to get a drink and breath before continuing. One day he would choke, and that would teach him what Fin never could before. Lisa sat next to him, gazing at her new item in glee. It was a small lamp in the shape of an ancient tree... the Mana Tree. __

It was really beautiful. It was only a single Cherry Bomb big, only slightly wider. The green crystal foliage was made to look like a full blooming tree, while similar crystals snaked around multiple twisted wires to form the trunk. When a candle was lit, the light would make the leaves glow green. A wonderful piece indeed.

Elysia snapped her fingers to gain Fin's attention, along with attention from a few drunken townsmen. She shooed them away, giggling childishly. At least she found her meal for the night. "Guri said that there has been issues around Fa'Diel. Haunting in Polpota Harbor, a 'war' between the Pirate Penguins and the Ulkan Mine Dudbears, fairies appearing, well, everywhere." The fairies could cause a problem later. They hated humans, and something spoken by a petrifying fairy the last time Fin visited Lake Kilma left a bad taste in her mouth.

_(*) "Although the Faeries thought that all humans were enemies, they soon discovered that there were those in the land of men who could understand the Faeries. With the help of the humans, they were again able to battle Anise and her mages. Eventually they rose victorious. Unfortunately, during the fight, the Mana Tree burned to the ground."  
_  
"Your Jumi friends have been spotted many times, but they are keeping to themselves. " Safer that way. "Trian was kidnapped by the Pirate Penguins, and Escad has fully returned." The foot legs of the chair met the dark purple cobble stones with a clack.

Okay, Trian being kidnapped wasn't anything knew. That hadn't been the cause for her reaction. He'd find a way to get out or she'd go get him, and the pirates wouldn't do anything to him. They owed the girl a lot. The name Escad had bugged her more. Last time she had seen him... well, he had been un the Underworld. No one left the Underworld once they were there. No one. Had he found a way to escape?

"We're going back to Gato, I presume."

_We're going back to Gato._

Bud and Lisa wooted in joy. More time away from home! Fin would have to send a message to Jennifer to see if she'd feed her pets while she was away. The blonde didn't have the heart to make the two stay home.

* * *

Jumi: Woot! I made it before the end of the month! Tech, it's still this montsh update! *dances around like and idiot* Hoped you enjoyed! Thanks Meerf and Nakka-sama!  
The next will be better, I promise.

(*)Excerpt 25: The Hidden (Legend of Mana History)


	6. Chapter 6: Secrets

**Chapter Number:** Six  
**Chapter Title:** Secrets  
**Story rating:** T  
**Publish Date: **June 23, 2009  
**Beta:** Much thanks to Meeerf (I always want to say it with an accent)! Without her help, this chapter would have bitten biiiiig time. Thank you so much!  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Mana, or any of the characters really. They are owned by Square-Enix (^&%) and whoever else owns them. I am not liable for any damages or warranty for I do not gain any currency for this work.

I also do not own Legend of the Dragoon.  
**Warnings:** Um… look! A flying cow! See see?! It was so distracting that I didn't write for months! Look at it go! With its golden wings and rainbow poop!

….

…..

……

……. It's a long one at least.  
**Muse:** Your mom! No, I'm kidding (unless your moms do read this). All my kind readers and reviewers are my muses.

* * *

"_Demon_!"

Sparks flew as the steel blade of a sword crashed against the hilt of a much sturdier axe. Fin adjusted her hands, spreading them so that the weight of her axe was even, back pressed against rough orange stone. That was the only thing keeping her from crumpling under the man's sheer strength and weight.

But, it also had her pinned against an idiot and a hard place, two things Findabhear hated most.

Fin gave a silent growl at her opponent's sneer. "This time, I will not lose!"

"Sure you will." The male's green-blue eyes widened as a blue- skinned hand landed on his purple-armored shoulder. Elysia's bloodied face split into a sinister grin as she tightened her fist, the metal shell crunching. In the momentary opening, Fin forced his sword back, ducking low to knock his legs out from under him with the hilt of her axe. Him falling or jumping would have had the same effect, as Elysia grabbed his other shoulder and bodily tossed him across the clearing. The teal-and-purple clad fighter rolled across the ground, sending dust up to cover both himself and his clothes. He stopped himself just teetering on the edge of the cliff where they had dueled, only barely in time to avoid falling into the river snaking below, underneath the city of Gato itself.

Fin gave into her most childish impulse, running over and shoving him the rest of the way into the water before he could gain his bearings. With a huff and a short nod, the young woman turned on her heel and walked back to Elysia, who was attempting to pull an unconscious Niccolo back to the waking word. Though in actuality, all the succubus was really doing was poking the rabbit in his round tummy with some twisted bit of root.

As Fin stopped behind her, Elysia froze, shooting upwards as if shocked. In the blink of an eye, the blue-skinned woman jolted across the fallen tree bridge, hand clamped tightly over her nose and body hidden the shadow of an outcropping.

Fin tilted her head in question. "You're bleeding…" was the muffled answer. In another second, she had disappeared completely. Only now that Elysia had mentioned it did Fin feel the sting of a cut above her eyebrow, the rawness of her grazed left arm and leg, and the ache from a split lip.

Gingerly, Findabhear reached for the cut above her eyebrow, fingers instantly feeling slick with blood. _Great; head wounds of any form took forever to clot_. Fin wiped her hand on her dress as the sound of sloshing water met her ears, and she turned towards it involuntarily.

Escad was pulling himself out of the water, gasping as he used his sword as a crutch to stand up. "I see you still can't fight your own battles. I was expecting the dog." He coughed, trying to expel water from his lungs. Fin frowned briefly at the man, but ignored him after that, opting instead to try and awaken Niccolo. Escad would not attack anyone from behind, so the young woman felt no fear of having her back or side turned to him.

It took a good slap to bring the bunny-cat man around, and another shake for him to understand he wasn't having a nightmare, and he really did have to recollect all his Greenballs within a few minutes before they completely ran away. As it was, there were only a few remaining buggies. "Finny! Help me quickly!" he shouted, not waiting for her to agree before turning on the waterlogged man, Niccolo'snormal smiling face now pulled into a disgusted scowl. If possible, his furry chest puffed up more. "You too! It was your fault in the first place, attacking me and poor Finny here! Now! On your hands and knees! I want every last one picked up before they run away! Then you will beg for forgiveness!"

* * *

Though Escad did not beg for forgiveness (which Findabhear was greatly upset over), he did gather a large portion of the Greenballs before running off, scowl plastered to his face. Niccolo had done the smart thing and had put him on the embankment away from the blonde fighter, and had taken his sword. This proved a mixed blessing; they were separated too far for Fin to have a chance to grill Escad on how he had escaped the word of the dead. And that was the main reason she was even back in Gato Grottos.

_When the bunny man is angry though, he's kinda scary, _Fin thought, wincing as Daena prodded her forehead rather painfully. Her friend's cat face was stone, her eyes cold as she applied a salve to Fin's cut once again. The head wound had been deeper then Fin had originally assumed, and had actually needed a few stitches so that it didn't reopen – _and let's face it, _she thought to herself glumly, _with her luck, it probably would._

Daena started when Fin batted her hand away, her own pale limps fluttering. "What? I'm sorry. No, I'm not mad at you…" The feline girl's ears drew back into her hair in had been so lost in thought; none of her anger was directed at her friend. No, it was mostly directed at _Escad_. From Fin's story, neither she, Elysia, or Niccolo had provoked his attack. And Daena hadn't even known he was _here_!

Reluctantly, she admitted to herself that a bit of that anger was for Matilda as well… she had known, hadn't she? Abruptly, a hand hit her again. "Sorry," Daena replied sheepishly.

_You know what? I'm just going to do it myself…. _Fin took the bandages from the cat girl, walking over to Daena's vanity where she plopped herself on the desk and tilted her head to look at the cut in the mirror. _Oh! _she half-gasped to herself, realizing that it was already starting to heal. She'd thank Daena when said woman was not lost in her own thoughts.

While she was at it, she'd suggest that their be less green in her room. The walls, beds, everything was an ocean green that seemed to override her senses and fuel a deep rotted… something within her chest.

Fin let her thoughts drift, lost in the sheer greeness of the room. One minute soon turned into five, five to ten, ten to twenty…

"Hey, Findabhear?"

Fin's emerald eyes glanced away from the book she had picked off the shelf over at her friend's watery, light purple orbs, a cloud of surprise and suspicion floating across them. "I have a couple of questions."

Fin nodded wearily at Daena, knowing what at least one of those questions would be.

"How do you know that it was Escad that attacked you…?" Daena began. "You've never met him directly…"

With a snap, Fin closed the book. _Maybe I'll borrow it for a little while, _she thought to herself. It _was_ awfully good. It was about seven dragoon warriors who were trying to fight the forces of evil, who was none other than one of their own uncles… though Fin suspected that behind it all, someone else was pulling the strings.

She pushed the story out of her head, and turned her attention to Daena.

_I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. You're smart. It was, honestly, Escad. I've met him… a few times really. _Findabhear drew one leg up onto the bed, hugging her knee but keeping her hands free, eyes never straying from Daena's face. _I came here with the purpose of seeing him again_. _Though, I would have liked never seeing his stupid face…_

The feline was speechless. Her childhood friend had been sent to the Underworld years ago, long before Daena had even met this mysterious warrior. It was the same day Matilda had lost her spiritual powers. Fin just continued to watch.

Another few minutes passed, and Daena finally voiced the question that hung in the air. "You were in the Underworld?"

……

"_Daena_." The cat woman spun at the sound of her name, the bells in her ears jingling at the sudden movement. In the doorway, stood the elderly Matilda, leaning heavily on her sturdy wooden staff, more so than the blonde was used to. The abbess looked so tired, but her eyes still held a smile for Daena, the one she had always called her 'little sister'.

"Remember, we do not question those who do not wish to reveal. It's their secrets, and theirs alone until they are ready to tell," the Abbess scolded waspily, tapping the floor (green) with her staff for emphasis. For the second time that day, Daena's tawny ears drooped and she lowered her head, as Matilda looked towards Fin. "We all have secrets, and some have more than others. Isn't that right, young Findabhear?"

Fin inclined her head respectfully in response, and Matilda nodded in satisfaction. "Now. Apologize, please."

"I'm sorry, Findabhear," Daena said in a timid voice. "Forgive me?"

A thumbs-up and a wide grin said everything that needed to be said. Matilda looked on approvingly. "Very good. If you'll excuse me, I am going to take a small nap."

"I will accompany you," Daena announced. Matilda smiled gratefully and allowed herself to be aided back to the Dreamweaving Room, even good-naturedly accepting Daena's scolding for walking around without a guard, or the nun's got name tags.

* * *

"Nooo… That's MY Diceberry, Lisa… get your own…." mumbled the little purple-haired elf boy as he rolled over in his bed, pulling the covers tightly around himself. On the other bed, Lisa wore a frown in her sleep. Grinning, Fin walked over to pull the covers up to both their small chins.

The three of them were staying in one of the spare rooms of the temple – refreshingly quiet, pleasantly luminous, and extremely _green_. The beds, however, were old and spartan, the one creaking as Fin sat cross-legged on top of the coverlet. The lamp she had found the day she rescued Pearl rested upside-down in the crook of her knee, as she tried once again to prying the little hatch open.

So far, she had little success, but she couldn't give up - there was _something_ in it! She could _hear_ them, two things that clattered when she flipped the lily-sculpted lamp upright again

Fin sighed. _This. Is. Annoying._

The lamp's bottom met the side table with a 'clunk' and an obnoxious clatter of whatever was inside, as if it was now mocking her.

"Fin? Are you still awake?" Daena poked her head around the door and, seeing her friend sitting up, padded over. Her shoulders looked like they bore a heavy weight; her posture sagged, and she lacked the grace she normally had, settling on the bed clumsily. Ears drooping, Daena rested her elbows on her knees and chin on furry hands.

"Matilda… she's getting so weak," Daena finally voiced. "I don't want to see her die, despite what Gaeus said." Fin only nodded, sympathy welling up, slipping into the memory.

_~"What happens to your soul after you die?"_ _Daena had asked, looking out the window across the open street.__That butterfly woman was chatting up a storm with some of her friends, while her daughter was trying to push her father out of the bar. Down below, Yuka, the Inn Keeper, was gardening, while Pee-Wee rested beside her in a small wicker basket._

_So many people… so many happy, carefree townsmen. Matilda was always happy as well, Daena recalled… but how, or why, she could not say._

_Daena had directed the question to the woman beside her. When the girl gave no answer, Daena assumed she had none, only to have a piece of torn parchment gently placed in her hands. It was a excerpt from an old book, maybe a history book;_

_(*)_"After the Holy War of the Mana Tree, the flow of Mana to the world resumed. Before, mages would steal from others, using dangerous magic, but now the land produced enough for all. However, the surviving mages could not stand being equal to their fellow creatures. They sought magic that could make everything their own."

_Daena gave the woman a confused look, until the girl pointed to the bottom. Written in neat, little characters were the words;_

"It lives forever."

_The monk had been surprised, left staring at the passage and words in confusion. The girl seemed so _– trustworthy -_ though her eyes had the look of someone who had walked a thousand miles and seen twice that. There was a darkness to her that her natural sparkle could not diminish; yet it was that same glow that had inexplicably inspired Daena's trust. The girl had barely walked in before Daena found herself practically spilling her guts to the stranger._

_The response came up unconsciously, before Daena realized it was there. "I believe that too. I have been wounded a thousand times, but no one has ever hurt my soul. I can't believe that something could happen to my soul." She paused for a moment in thought. Earlier, she had said she hadn't believed in the Mana Tree, but wished that it could help her nonetheless. And now, here stood a girl who was willing to offer aid… "You know what?" she had blurted out. "I would like to go meet the Wisdom, Gaeus. But, I don't want to go alone. Would you come with me?"_

_The unfamiliar woman sticks had not hesitated, immediately nodding her head. She had slipped on a smile, a true grin that somehow forced that mysterious darkness from her gaze._

"_What is your name?" Daena asked of her new companion._

_The girl took the paper back from the woman, jotted down something, and returned it. Daena looked down at the written words in her hand. "_My name is Findabhear. What is yours_?"_

_Daena returned Findabhear's trusting smile with one of her own. "I am Daena, a monk at the Gato Grotto's Temple of Healing." In response, Findabhear walked back towards the door, waving nonchalantly, and Daena nearly laughed, certain she new what that gesture was saying, _"Gaeus might be a rock, but he wont wait forever."

_The track through the Luon Highway had been simple and swift. Fin appeared to know the direction to the Wisdom by heart, taking route around bandits to avoid encounters or little short cuts. Not before long, the duo had arrived at the Gaeus' resting place._

_(*)_"Anuella saw through the mage's plot. She left the northern mountain, then gave life to a rocky hill so the mage's caravan could not progress further. The living hill called itself Gaeus, and its knowledge seemed deeper, and more vast than Anuella's. Anuella called for Gaeus' help and prepared for war."

_The enormous, stone Wisdom towered before the two girls, looking down upon them, though not in a condescending way. In fact, his presence was comforting, his face of rock only showing kindness. Despite Daena's happiness in anticipation of receiving answers, nervousness frosted to her heart like ice._

_A warm hand landed on her arm as Findabhear walked forwards and onto a stone platform barely hidden by the dirt, turning to wave the other forward when she made no move to join. Daena had learned much earlier that her partner would not, or could not, speak. She relied heavily on facial and hand gestures, or words written in the dirt. It didn't seem to bother Findabhear much; that was the way it was, and she just went with it. _

_As Daena joined her on the rock, both women were greeted by a heavy, rough voice, "_Welcome my children. Come closer…" _The stone structure shifted, lifting them skywards, towards the gigantic face. Looking down idly, Daena realized that, on closer inspection, it was not a simple platform – it was in the shape of a _hand_. A hand made of boulders, dirt and rocks. _

"Well hello there, what can I do for you?_" the Wisdom questioned, eyeing the new arrivals. Fin walked across the hand to stand inches away from the drop, reaching out to poke the Wisdom's chin. She gave a silent chuckle, retreating to stand behind Daena, giving her a playful shove._

_Daena stepped forward slowly, carefully, head held up high. Her own fear had been lost when the other girl pulled her childish stunt. "My friend is about to die from a demon's curse. What can I do to help her?"_

_There was a brief pause, before Gaeus stated simply, "_Do what your friend wants you to do._" That was not what Daena wanted to hear - her friend simply wanted Daena to do nothing! Matilda just was going to accept what was happening to her! Daena couldn't… she didn't want…_

_When she voiced her concern, Gaeus merely replied, "_Then you must accept that. Did you understood what that person said to you?_"_

"_No I didn't!!" Daena practically snarled. " She was so strong-willed! A demon weakened her, both in body and spirit! I only… I only want to help her regain her former self!" _

_Gaeus was undaunted. "_People have the power to change themselves_," he replied calmly. "_That is what she is trying to teach you. Listen to her words." _Daena paused, the force of what he said hitting her like bricks. _Was that what Matilda was trying to teach her? That people could change? Why would she need that lesson?

_Her head bowed, she mumbled, "Thank you. I will think about this calmly."_

"You are welcome, my child." _The eyes of the Wisdom shifted to the form behind her. Findabhear had her arms crossed behind her back, looking up at the clouds, though a small smile graced her lips. She looked as if she understood the words better then Daena had._

"Findabhear, have you found what you have been searching for?" _Gaeus addressed her. Fin looked over, emerald eyes flashing. Her mouth opened, lips moving to form unheard words – unheard to Daena's ears at least. The Wisdom obviously heard them, even if she could not.. "_I hope you find the find what you want most," _he replied to her unvoiced question, and with that, the hand began to lower. By way of goodbye, Fin playfully poked Gaeus' chin once again. His rumbling laugh echoed outwards, ending as his hand touched the dirt and settled. "_Come again, my children._"~_

"I know she wants me to just let her go," Daena told Fin, "but I don't know if I _can_. I want her to be happy. Escad… he's been trying to destroy Irwin for so long now. Is he doing the right thing? I'm so confused." Fin reached out and patted her friend's back. Maybe, maybe there was something Daena could do. "Hey, Fin, we'll be friends even if we make mistakes, right?"

The other woman tilted her head, hair falling around her shoulders. Her hands danced in front of the air without hesitation. Daena sighed in relief, hugging the girl tightly, her hair tickling her friend's neck. "Thank you."

Daena and Findabhear had become friends not on the day that they had met in Domina's inn, but three weeks after that, almost two years ago, when Fin had helped save Abbess Matilda from a genie like creature, disguised as a nun. It had been easy finding where Spriggan - a fairy guard - had taken the elderly woman… not so easy trying to get the stupid guy to stay down. It was only later that Daena had explained the story of Irwin to Fin, and that Spriggan had most likely been one of his minions.

_~Daena gasped, clutching a fractured left arm close to her chest, __flail lying forgotten on the blood-red carpet, the weapon useless without its master. Findabhear was trying to bat off the monster's smaller minions, leaving her too preoccupied to help the other warrior. Even so, gashes and slashes were appearing on Fin's pale limbs like wraps of red ribbon. Though normally she handled her heavy two-handed axe easily, now she struggled under the weight._

"_I think our Lord will be happy to know one of the Abbess' little guardians has finally bit the dust, don't you think?" the creature cackled, floating over to hover in front of the injured monk. He laughed madly as he swung his head, twirling his beard out to point it at her. The bell hanging on the silver appendage jingled almost plaintively. "Die."_

_Daena growled, trying to step away from the attack that would most likely kill her. But it never came. "Findabhear!"~_

Fin, foolishly, had attempted to stop the attack with her bare hands, earning her two mirrored wounds, deep punctures through her forearms. The massive amount of blood gushing from her arms had apparently not impeded her, however; Daena had passed out shortly after the attack, but woke to discover their enemy defeated, as evidenced by the lack of a body and an unconcious Fin beside her.

A breeze shuffled across the monk's ear, and for the slightest second, she thought she heard a voice. It was like the whisper of the wind, or a the beat of a fairies' wing; so very faint. The words were almost incoherent, but she knew what they said nevertheless. _"You have to choose, but I'll always be your friend. Do what you think is right"._Lisa was not sure what had woken her up from her lovely dream – one of her becoming a queen and ruling a country- but the bed creaked and groaned as she pushed herself up, covers and purple hair pooling around her tiny waist. As sleep fell away, she became determined to find the source of what had woken her.

* * *

A few seconds passed before Lisa puzzled out the source. It was a sound, a low and high pitched vibrations that sounded like a instrument tuner. The noise was bad, far from it, but something about the humming made her skin crawl with shivers (not bugs, she thought randomly to herself; bugs and shivers were different), the same shivers she had felt the first time she had ever used her Aura Flute.

And with that melody playing, she was sure there would be very little sleep.

Looking over at her twin, it seemed as if he heard nothing. Her little brother was curled tightly over the light blanket, hair tousled. _But - where's Fin? _Lisa wondered nervously. She padded over to Fin's empty, untouched, bed. Her hair sticks were stacked neatly on the nightstand, gloves and bangles under them. But her shoes were missing from their resting place by the door.

Lisa made the decision to investigate. Carefully, so as to not disturb any sleeping nuns, Lisa tucked her blue cloth shoes under her arms and trotted out of the room.

At night, the Temple of Healing was _frightening_. It was so dark inside that Lisa couldn't even see the ceiling, high above. Candles were lit every four feet, but their meager light provided little comfort. Picking up her pace, the mage child continued one her path, following the humming of magic to the back room, the Room of Prayer.

"Why are you up at this hour, child?" a withered voice questioned, as said child pushed the door open. The source of the magic was here, the humming turning into a throbbing that did not hurt. It was the opposite, really - it felt wonderful, like dozing by the fire in a cozy quilt after playing in the snow.

Lisa felt Matilda's eyes on her, and her own eyes going wide, knowing she had been caught in the act of sneaking around a holy place. _But! She had a good reason to_! She was looking for Findabhear. Yep. Maybe… was she intruding on something, or breaking some secret code? She shifted uncomfortably.

The Abbess was resting on a slab of jade with cushions under her small frame to protect her aged back and bones. Her hands were held up in a gesture of prayer. Lisa gaped like a fish, face reddening. _What if she had interrupted something important?!_ Ohh, Bud would never let her live this down if he found out!

Soft, old chuckling broke her fright as the Abbess motioned her over, wizened face pulled into a comforting smile. As Lisa approached, she noticed that the frail old woman looked even older than she had that morning. Patting the seat next to her flared red robes, Matilda returned her focus to the mural of the Mana Goddess and the Mana Tree that hung from the high ceiling to the lower wall. The younger girl soundlessly proceeded into the room, following the gaze. The statue looked so pretty, with wings out spread before stained glass, hands embracing the small image of the Mana Tree resting between her delicate fingers - all carved in the same jade gemstone from which the Temple itself was crafted.

"Sit, sit." Lisa obeyed quickly, pushing the stunning robe aside, not wanting to sit on something so pretty. Matilda chuckled. "Nighttimes are the most peaceful time to pray. Do you not agree?"

"I wouldn't know." muttered the little elf, wringing her long fingers, suddenly engrossed in the tattoo marks on her arms. "We never really tried, Bud and me." Fin taught them many things, as did Trian, but nothing like _that_. Magic, weapon skills, housework - but never prayer.

Matilda nodded wisely, letting her decrepit arms rest on her stomach. "Findabhear was never one to pray." Lisa's ears perked up in interest. "When she was staying with us, she would always hide somewhere during the rituals. It was amusing to watch her sneak out the back door, every day in both the morning and evening, for three months running. Daena was always furious at her when she came back."

The elf could imagine it - her mute teacher waving her arms in self-defense and justification. Daena could be very intimidating, especially when annoyed. Lisa and Bud had met her shortly after they had moved into to Fin's home. They had been trying to weed the garden when the irate woman stormed down the path, mumbling about 'leaving without telling'.

"You never answered my question, child."

"Huh?"

"What could be keeping you up at this late hour?"

Lisa mumbled, "A sound woke me up."

"What kind of sound?"

"I'm not sure…" _Like the wings of a Stinger Bug encased in magic cast by one of Master's stronger instruments… _"Something like a drum. That's the closest thing." It was the best Lisa could come up with to describe it, even though it was grossly oversimplified; she had never experienced anything like it. Some things _similar_, maybe, once in awhile with Fin, but this was stronger, _thicker_ almost. It was a sound that couldn't be heard, but _felt_.

The sound intensified, Lisa's skin crawled. The Abbess' eyebrow rose a fraction, hand hovering a inch from the slab. "You can feel that?" Lisa nodded vigorously, her long fingers fiddling with one of the red markings.

Matilda looked to the nun had ever been able to feel that kind of _power, nor even Daena herself; it_ was simply far beyond their comprehension.

A bittersweet sense of dread and happiness fell upon the elderly woman like rain. _This could either be a blessing for the young elf child, or a curse. _Matilda contemplated worriedly how much she could safely tell the young girl, but she was rescued from the decision as the door was suddenly pushed open.

Fin walked in, face washed with relief at the sight of her young charge. Her hands hovered in front of her chest.

"I was looking for you!" Lisa defended, sliding away from Matilda's side. She turned to bow politely, and apologized for her intruding, but the holy woman merely smiled, waving her and Fin away. "I enjoyed the companionship. The nights are sometimes lonely."

With twin respectful nods, the two turned to leave, Fin giving Matilda a questioning look.

A sad sigh was all the response Matilda felt she could give. Before her time came to an end, she wanted to make sure to ask both Fin and Lisa if the elf girl would like to train to become the next Abbess of the Healing Temple.

* * *

"Fin, what's wrong? Were you crying?" Lisa questioned as Findabhear pulled the covers over her, tossing the blue shoes near her own. Fin shook her head no, whipping her eyes on her bare shoulder, mindful of her facial wounds.

Of course, the elf knew her teacher was lying, Fin wasn't the best liar, but pressing it wouldn't get her answers. Though, Lisa was pretty sure that the tears were why the woman had left her bed to begin with.

_Everything is fine, silly. Just had a nightmare, then I came back and you weren't in bed. Worried me a bit._

Lisa nodded, giggling when Fin kissed her on the forehead. With a small smile, the elf rolled over on her bed. The humming had stopped, or rather _dimmed_, now merely a comforting feeling. It lulled Lisa to sleep, but her last waking thought was to note Fin watching the door; not out of fear, but curiousity.

* * *

(*) Excerpt: 29: A Brief Peace (Legend of Mana History)

(*)Excerpt 39: Gaeus (Legend of Mana History)

M'kay! I know people will remark about how I kept the same dialoge for the flash backs, but I think flashbacks or importanted kick butt speeches should stay the same. The whole Gaeus quest was pretty intense (or I think so) and changing it might have ruined it. I know my wording might have taken the meaning out of what Gaeus was trying to tell Daena.

For those who are annoyed; I'll try and keep ingame dia to a low from now on.

Reviews are much loved.  
~Jumi


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